The Legend Of Dragon Domain
by jedssm
Summary: In a land inhabited by humans and magical creatures, a brave knight is sent by the king to enter the territory of the most powerful creatures that exist. However, things may not be as simple as they seem. Rated M for being somewhat "spicy".
1. The Mission

**This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it ended up getting longer than I expected.  
I preferred to separate into chapters, which I will publish gradually this week.**

* * *

Silent Valley was a peaceful kingdom, ruled by the lineage of the royal family for long eight hundred years. In their vast territory, the subjects felt free under the government of the good King Albert and safe under the protection of the brave Silent Knights, appointed by the king himself. The kingdom was located to the extreme west of the continent, protected by the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. They never had any problems with invaders coming from the sea. No, their only problem was between the kingdom and the sea.

Three-fifths of the area that touched the sea was only accessible by a huge valley and a dense forest, known as Dragon Domain. In this place, the most feared creatures of the entire continent lived.

For centuries, there was a route that passed directly through Dragon Domain to the villages in the coastal area. But now it was necessary to make a several day journey through the South of the kingdom to get around this area.

Fifteen years ago, the bravest of the Silent Knights, Sir Daniel, slew the king of the dragons, causing chaos in the whole kingdom. Many dragons sought revenge, attacking the kingdom, and spreading across the continent. Everyone called this day "The Fury"

However, no one else, even the Silent Knights, ever got into Dragon Domain. The king's daughter made a decree so that no other human would ever enter the territory they smeared with her father's blood. Even so, there was always a fool who tried to enter the territory, only to return badly wounded, and that if returned.

Today, however, a Silent Knight is about to receive permission from the king to enter the fearsome territory. Summoned to attend the castle in Lincoln, the capital of the kingdom, late afternoon, in a private audience with the king.

The king, already in old age, had lived depressed since before the "Fury". The motive, however, was only known by the older knights, who were forbidden to tell the motive. He was taken out of his meditative state when a knight entered the throne room and knelt before the king.

The Knight was a young twenty-one-year-old girl, dark skin with freckles and black hair stuck in a long ponytail. Her armor was light compared to the other knights, and she had a golden sword.

"Your Majesty, I have come as fast as I can. What mission should I fulfill for my kingdom?"

"Lady Ronnie Anne, you have been one of the best knights in this kingdom, and your bravery is undeniable. Your mission, if you decide to accept it, can decide the future of the kingdom."

The young woman was holding back her excitement. She had not become a Silent Knight to serve the people, but rather enjoyed the reputation of being the toughest knight in the kingdom. Knowing that her king also saw her in this way filled her with excitement.

"As you know, our kingdom suffers for years with the consequences of the acts of Sir Daniel, whose name fell out of disgrace after killing the Dragon King. What no one knows, though, is that I ordered Sir Daniel to go to Dragon Domain."

The king watched her. She was still kneeling, waiting for him to finish. He knew she had serious problems with the dragons, and knowing that her king had began this could affect her judgment.

"As you know, the most impressive ability dragons have is to take on a human form to mingle with us. One day, twenty-nine years ago, my daughter was deluded by the Dragon King, who approached her to steal the most sacred possession of the royal family, the alchemist's staff."

"Sorry my king, but I thought it was just a legend." Lady Ronnie was confused by the direction of the conversation.

"No, my dear, its very real. I know the legend speaks of the magical properties, but it can also only be used by a legitimate heir of my lineage, and so that demon took not only the inheritance of my family, but also my only daughter."

The knight felt sorry. She felt a deep hatred of the dragons for what they had done to her, but now she was divided. On the one hand, her king admitted to being guilty of what had happened in the kingdom, but on the other hand, the dragons had begun everything by taking the princess and the staff. She could only imagine the horrors that went through the king's mind when he discovered that his daughter was being held prisoner by such terrible monsters.

"So, if I understand correctly, should I look for your daughter?" She was expecting an optimistic response, but the king's face already gave her answer.

"I do not believe my daughter is still alive after all these years. However, there are still some distant relatives I have, and some of them may claim the throne, but only if the staff shows that it is indeed of our lineage. Your mission is to enter the ruins of the old castle that was besieged by Sir Daniel, and try to find the staff. Without it, all the houses of the nobility can start a war for the kingdom as soon as I'm gone."

Lady Ronnie was puzzled. She received permission from her king to go where no Silent Knight could go, the only place she wanted to go. Finally, she would have the chance to avenge her family.

"I will not disappoint you, my king."

"Perfect. Choose the best Silent Knights and then..."

"With all due respect my king, but I do not think it will be necessary."

The king watched her in disbelief. He knew she had a personal quarrel with the dragons, but did not think she would put it as a priority over the future of the kingdom.

"What I meant is that a large group can draw a lot of attention. I will go with two squires, and we will act in a stealthy way, lest we be perceived."

This reassured the king. He had to agree that this was a wise move. The king dismissed her, giving her permission to leave as soon as she was ready.

As she left the castle, Lady Ronnie wondered who her squires might be. The Silent Knights had a hard training program for the squires, she herself had been through it, even coming from a long line of knights. Squires could be requested at any time by any knight to accompany him on a mission. However, she had a reputation that made all the squires afraid of her, which made it very difficult to create a relationship between knight and squire. She decided to leave it for the next day, and returned home.

Not far from town, there was a house of considerable size, with a large estate all around. The Santiago house was home of one of the oldest lineages of Silent Knights, having served the kingdom since its foundation. However, the house was empty, only some servants who kept it clean and the last Santiago still alive.

Lady Ronnie removed her armor and ordered to be cleaned and prepared for her departure, as well as two more horses and her spear.

She knew that even though it was a mission that did not require combat, she would hardly come back alive.

Not because it was dangerous, but because she wanted to face the dragons. She no longer cared about her own life, for she felt a void within herself. At the first sign of a dragon, she would send her squires back as she followed the tracks, and then she would break into her suicidal crusade.

Seventeen years ago, she would not have these thoughts. She was just a small girl wanting to be a knight like her father while practicing with her brother, who was already a squire. When her mother died of an illness, her world collapsed, and she felt that nothing could worsen her sadness. Then, almost two years later, came the "Fury", and her father tried to protect the city with the other knights, giving his life to save the people.

In the following years she tried to be strong, and became a squire, with the purpose of giving pride to her father and spending as much time as possible with her brother, who had become a Silent Knight. She found happiness again, engaging in adventures with her brother, until six years ago when he was sent to Dragon Domain with a group of eight knights, a secret mission that was too dangerous for squires. Only two returned, and her brother was not one of them.

Suddenly she understood what had happened at the time. Probably, the king tried to retrieve the staff, and sent a large group of knights marching to the entrance of the lair of the beasts.

She had a chance to succeed where her brother failed, to emerge victorious where others perished. But none of that mattered, all that mattered was her chance to get revenge.

She accepted death.

She was not afraid to die, and will take as many dragons as she can with her.


	2. The Squires

The next morning, Lady Ronnie woke up early, and got dressed to go to the Academy.

Upon arriving at the squire training center, she remembered when she had entered the Academy. Although there was no prohibition on girls becoming Silent Knights, it was extremely rare one girl decide to follow this path. She not only impressed by being excellent, but also by being the youngest Silent Knight in the history of the kingdom, having taken the graduation exam at the age of sixteen. She then saw the current administrator of the Academy.

"Greetings, Sir Rusty. How is the Academy since I left?"

Sir Rusty, a knight of the same age as Lady Ronnie, was clad in his armor as he watched the squires fight each other. He had long red hair, some scars on the left side of his face, and his armor was closed where his left arm was.

"Well, since our days as squires, there have not been many exceptional youngsters." He smiled, happy to see his colleague. "Since I lost my arm, I had to be content to train the next generation, and I admit it's more challenging than I thought."

Ronnie could not help but laugh. Rusty was one of the few squires who did not mock her when she began training, and one of the few Silent Knights she regarded as a friend. All the knights felt bad when he lost his arm fighting goblins alone.

"I have a secret mission from the king, and I wanted to talk to you privately."

"Sure, we can go to my office." He turned to the students. "ATTENTION! I will leave for a few minutes, continue to practice until I return."

Sir Rusty's room was full of books and wooden swords, as well as some training dolls. There was a chair in front of his desk, and he motioned for her to sit down.

"So what did the king ask you to do?"

"Well, I can not tell you much, but there is a very precious mystical artifact for the royal family in the ruins of the dragon king's castle. With this, it is possible to know if anyone has royal blood, and our king needs this to ascertain his successor."

"And why did you come here? You should be recruiting the best Silent Knights, not a teacher like me."

"I did not come for you, Rusty." She smirked.

"You can not be serious!" Rusty was amazed and furious at the same time. "I've been training these squires for three years. A few are already ready to take the graduation exam, but even they are not ready to attack our biggest enemies!"

"Calm down, Rusty. I can be a bit exaggerated at times, but you should know that I do not put the lives of others at risk.. We will not attack the dragons, we will sneak in and retrieve the relic from the ruins.

Sir Rusty calmed down. He really cared about the well-being of his students, and that mission seemed reasonable, in addition to being ordered by the king.

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I need two squires, I even told my servants to prepare the horses. We'll take a route inside the forest and sneak up to the castle."

"And how do you know that artifact is there?"

"The king said that the artifact was stolen by the Dragon King when he kidnapped the princess. If what we know about them is true, they leave the possessions with the king when he dies, and they bury him in the catacombs below the castle. If it is not there, we will return to notify the king, and the mission will be fulfilled in the same way."

"Yeah, I must admit it's a good plan. Do you already have someone in mind?"

"Not really. That's where you come in. I need two squires who do not feel intimidated by me, who have no discomfort to walk in the forest, to be filled with mud and dung, and yet to be obedient."

Rusty paused for a moment to think. Although she was acting like she's in a diner and not a school, he could think of some options.

"Well, I have an excellent candidate. Remember my brother, Rocky? He is among the few eligible for graduation, is disciplined, and accepts any task despite acting as if he is always bored."

"Great. What about the second squire?"

"Well, I have a very promising squire, but we only have a little problem with her."

Ronnie was intrigued.

"Wait,"her"?"

"Yeah, she's probably the best girl in the Academy after you, and like Rocky, she's good enough to take the exam, even though she's young."

"Young how much?"

"Sixteen, just like you when you graduated."

"And what is her problem?"

"Well, try not to take it personally." He was red with embarrassment, but he was also afraid of how she would react. "She is moody, does not know to contain in the trainings, sometimes acts like a bully and has difficulty in taking orders. She's basically a temperamental tomboy."

Ronnie did not show it, but she was sympathetic to the girl right away. Rusty just described a slightly older version of herself when she entered the Academy, the girl might just need discipline. And she knew very well how to put someone in her place.

Suddenly one of the squires opened the door in despair.

"Sir Rusty, hurry! She did it again!"

"Well, Ronnie Anne, I think you'll want to see that."

As soon as they returned to the courtyard, the two young knights reacted differently than anyone would. In front of them was a sixteen-year-old girl, not much shorter than they, wearing a leather helmet and holding a wooden sword, while seven other squires were lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Rusty just looked bored, as if the scene was repeating itself. Ronnie, on the other hand, was smiling. That girl was acting similar to her.

"Young lady, may I ask what you're doing?" Sir Rusty asked, not in anger but in annoyance.

"Sorry, Sir Rusty." The girl replied, smiling uneasily. "They wanted a rematch, so I said I could do it with all seven at once. I think I overdid it a little bit."

Rusty just looked at Ronnie, letting her decide what to do. She simply smiled and nodded.

"Well, I hope you feel lucky today, because Lady Ronnie Anne wants you as a squire."

The girl was speechless. She had heard of the famous knight, and wanted to be like her.

"What's your name, girl?" The knight asked.

The girl took off her helmet and let her blond hair come out.

"Loud! Lana Loud!"


	3. The Journey Begins

The next day, Lady Ronnie was getting up early. She had agreed to pick up the horses and find Lana and Sir Rusty's brother at the entrance of the Lincoln at noon. Before, she had to get an order with the blacksmith.

She left the three horses with a groom and entered the blacksmith's workshop.

"Good morning, Jack. I came to get my order."

"Lady Ronnie, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

Jack the blacksmith was a man of about fifty, who was currently working with his son and two grandchildren, who could not keep him away from the forge.

He took something wrapped in a long piece of leather, and unrolled, revealing a golden sword, just like Lady Ronnie had, just new and shiny, and three daggers of the same material.

"As you requested, I made a sword with the ore that you brought from the neighboring kingdom, and as there was material left, I took the liberty of forging three daggers to accompany."

Ronnie was impressed. Her sword was a family heirloom, so she did not know how much ore was needed to forge a new one. However, with three daggers, she could do even more damage in her endeavor.

"Thank you, Jack." She took the bag from her belt. "And how much will it cost with the daggers?"

"Do not worry about it, Lady Ronnie. The daggers are a gesture of thanks from me. Consider as a gift to one of my best clients."

Ronnie paid the coins they had arranged and put the weapons in a leather bag she carried on her back.

Everything was going well. She got two of the Academy's best squires, the king's permission to enter Dragon Domain, and new special weapons with the blacksmith. What more could she want?

Suddenly she fell to the ground, bumping into someone.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Looking up, she saw a lad a little taller than she, holding out his hand to her. She accepted his help to get up, and took the bag off the floor. She looked closely at the young man. He had strange white hair that came up to his shoulders, beautiful green eyes, and he had freckles just like her. He wore a strange orange sleeveless tunic and a brown cloak with a hood that was lowered. She could not explain the reason, but just looking at him made her feel comfortable, her cheeks reddened and she almost lost her breath.

"Sorry, I was distracted by my shopping list." He said, showing a sheet of paper.

"No problem. I was not paying attention either way."

He then noticed the golden sword beneath her cape, and seemed to be uncomfortable.

"Well, I need to go. Have a great day." He said, getting out of there as fast as he could.

She stay motionless, lost in thought, until she remembered her appointment.

...

At the entrance to the town, Ronnie saw the two squires talking. Lana had her hair tied in short pigtails, and beside her was Rocky, who was just like Sir Rusty, only a little shorter. They wore breastplates and boots over their clothes, worn by squires on missions, and each one had a huge backpack.

"Good afternoon kids! I hope you're ready."

Lana was euphoric, while Rocky seemed to be just adjusting to the situation.

"We'll ride to the woods near the road to the south of the kingdom, near the spring of Draco river."

Lana raised her hand, her face now worried.

"What is it, Lana?"

"Are we going to enter the territory of the dragons?"

"No, Lana. The woods are on our side of the river, so it's safe. We have a secret mission entrusted to me by the king himself, and I will only discuss the details when we are completely alone."

Lana regained her mood, while Rocky seemed to remain passive. Ronnie did not understand how he could be the brother of the always energetic Rusty she'd met since Academy times.

She handed one horse to each. She might have asked for horses from the Academy stables, but she trusted only horses trained by an old friend of her father. They rode until they were close to sunset when they finally reached the forest.

As soon as they arrived, she let the two of them tidy up the camp, watching intently. Although she had never seen them worked together, Rocky did what was needed, and Lana was more than qualified to set up a camp for an entire battalion alone. After Lana lit the campfire, the three of them sat down and prepared to hear about the mission.

"All right you two, pay attention. What I'm going to tell is secret, and you'll never, ever, let anyone find out."

The two squires nodded so that she could continue.

"Years ago, the Dragon King took our king's only daughter to his territory, and no one ever heard of her again. He also carried a magic staff that can only be used by someone with royal blood, and the king needs this to elect his successor."

"Wait, then, are we really going to enter the territory of the dragons?" Lana seemed about to panic.

"Do not be afraid, Lana. We will follow the river to the south end of Ember Forest, and then follow through the dense forest to the valley where the remnants of Dragon King's castle. If all goes well, we will not even see a dragon. However, if we find one, you must retreat immediately, while I make time for you to escape. We are doing nothing but recovering something that was taken from the king, but we are still not welcome in the lands of Dragon Domain."

Lana still was not feeling very confident, while Rocky still showed no emotion.

"Well, that's it for today, enjoy the fire, for where we go we can not light another. Have good dreams."

...

The next morning came fast. They did not wait for the sun to go out, and they went on their way to the edge of the forest, following the course of the river. While Rocky still had not much reaction, whenever Lady Ronnie looked at Lana, she saw a look of concern on her face. The girl who had impressed her two days before now seemed like a distant memory. Since the "Fury", many stories have been told about how dreadful dragons were, and their devastating rage. Maybe Lana had heard many of these stories as a child, or even lost someone during an attack.

What mattered was to make Lana regain her confidence.

After a long day of travel, they reached the entrance to the forest, and set up camp on the human side of the river. Since they could not make a campfire, Lady Ronnie carried an enchanted rock with her. She just need to put it in a bowl of water and it would start to shine. The light was weak, just enough to illuminate what was nearby, and did not warm at night.

Lady Ronnie then decided to take the bag with her new weapons.

"Kids, pay attention." She said, taking the daggers. "Tomorrow, we'll go as far as the river ends in a lake, and then we'll be in an enemy land. I got those daggers with a reliable blacksmith, and I'm going to give a dagger to each one of you."

Rocky took his dagger quickly, but Lana seemed to be afraid of the shimmering object.

"I-Is that gold?" She asked, shocked.

"No Lana, it's a metal called alchemium. It has mystical properties, and is capable of cutting the scales of a dragon as if it were butter. Not only that, but it also forces a dragon to stay in human form if it is stuck or pierced by something of that material."

"But did not you say we were not going to have to fight them?"

"Lana, I'll be honest with you. These creatures are what I despise the most in the world. Even though I'm worried about your safety, if I see a dragon I will not hesitate to go to him to kill. Yes, I want you to escape if that happens, but I have to make sure that you can defend yourself."

Lana did not know what to think, and Lady Ronnie tried to understand the girl's problem. Even apprehensively, Lana took the dagger, and fastened it on her belt. Lady Ronnie was happy, and gave the command to go to bed.


	4. The First Dragon

The next day came with an immense heat wave. For the young squires it was hard enough, but for Lady Ronnie, wearing a full armor, it was unbearable.

Fortunately, they came as far as the river fed the lake, and stopped to rest. It was not difficult to remove the armor, but Lady Ronnie would not venture so close to enemy territory.

Attentively, she knelt down and plunged her empty canteen into the waters of the lake. Lana took off her breastplate and her clothes and threw herself into the lake. The young girl's sudden nudity made Rocky look as red as his hair, so he covered his eyes. Lady Ronnie could not help but smile as he finally showed some reaction.

Looking closely, she realized they were not the only ones in the area. Farther away, there were two girls playing in the water, apparently "natural" like Lana. Under a nearby tree shadow, a young man read a book with a dark green cover. A Young man with... white hair?

"Wait here, I'll be right back." She was trying to hide her excitement.

Lady Ronnie immediately climbed on her horse and ran the bank of the lake until she approached.

She did not know why, but she had to meet that guy again.

As she approached, the two girls froze. The lad was very attentive in the book to realize that Lady Ronnie had left her horse and was approaching him, but he noticed the sudden silence, and found the cause.

"Well, who would say." She said in a flirtatious tone. "Is not that we meet again?"

He was shocked but tried to sound calm. He could not let her notice his nervousness.

"I suppose it's only a coincidence. After all, randomness is always working, whereas we can not avoid it."

"Oh, I did not realize you were an intellectual. I suppose it's something from this book?"

"Not really. I'm reading tale about a prince whose father was killed by his uncle."

She hated the "wise-men" of the kingdom, and their craze for reading books. However, the tunic he wore let his arms show. She could not understand how someone who liked to spend time reading when he could swim could have such toned arms.

"But this is to pass the time." He closed the book and stood up. "I'm looking at my sisters, but I'm not much a fan of getting wet."

She noticed the girls, now dressed in tunics like their brother. One of them was a little girl, no more than eleven, with long blond hair. The other one seemed to be a little younger than Lana and she was brunette, and she wore some strange kind of glasses, which made her eyes look huge. She had seen glasses before, but they were expensive, and usually worn by grown men. But they seemed to be homemade by an amateur, not an artisan. Both girls had green eyes like their brother, just cuter than his.

"Well, I think I should introduce myself formally." She said, bowing to the girls. "I am Lady Ronnie Anne Santiago, Silent Knight of our kingdom of Silent Valley."

"Well, it's a pleasure." He said, also with a bow. "These are my sisters Lisa and Lily, and I am Lincoln."

Ronnie could not explain, but the more she looked at Lincoln, the more she was attracted to him. And seeing him act so cautious around her, she could only imagine that he felt the same way.

What other reason could there be?

It was then that she realized.

They were not just on a shore, they were within the territory of Dragon Domain. He'd been there a long time with the girls, as if there was no problem.

She looked around. No wagon, no horse, nothing that would indicate a stop. That is, they were close to home, and There was no town, village or private property in that area.

Not on the human side.

As if reading her thoughts, Lincoln quickly ran up to the girls and caught them in his arms, dashing out into the forest.

"Come back here!" She cried out furiously.

Lana and Rocky heard the scream and saw her riding her horse and running furiously behind the three siblings. They did not know what to do, but Lana quickly put on her clothes and the two followed their knight.

...

Lady Ronnie now eagerly followed the trio on the run. Now she was sure of her suspicions, for a human carrying two people could not run as fast as her horse, still more into a dense florest. Still, she managed to narrow the distance between them.

As soon as they reached a clearing, she picked up her spear and threw it at Lincoln. He managed to dodge, but then he stopped running. He looked at the two girls in the eyes and then threw them away, over the trees. Lady Ronnie stopped her horse and went to the ground, sword in position, waiting for an opening.

"What is your problem?" He said, starting to get angry. "We're in our territory, why are you still after us?"

"Do not play innocent, freak!" She had hate in the look and venom in the words. "You bumped into me the other day, remember?"

"And what does it matter?"

"It means you invaded our kingdom!"

To her surprise and disgust, he just laughed.

"I did not invade any kingdom. If you do not know, _YOU_ can not enter _OUR_ territory, but nothing prevents us from going to the market and paying for things. Or do you think my books and the clothes of my sisters grow in trees?"

That caught Lady Ronnie off guard. In fact, there has never been a formal proclamation of the king preventing dragons in human form from entering the towns and villages.

She began to wonder how many of these vile creatures had crossed her path without her noticing, for they were acting as if they were people, not the monsters they are. She was taken from her reverie when she heard the sound of horses approaching.

" _Those two would not be foolish to follow me, would they?"_ She thought.

"Listen, why do not we stop this in a nice way?" He tried to smile, and held out his hand. "We have not had a problem for years, and I do not need to tell anyone I saw a human enter our realm. What do you say?"

That was a mistake.

Lady Ronnie knew that dragons had different personalities, and this one gave all the signs of being an intellectual who did not know how to fight even if his life depended on it.

And unfortunately for him, his life depended on it.

She stepped up against him, attacking him with her sword, but he dodged from them all, almost as if he was accustomed to doing so. He did not even seem to be concerned that a Silent Knight was brandishing an alchemium sword against him. It seemed that he could continue this rhythm for hours, until a peculiar sound passed close to them.

A few feet away, Rocky had fired an arrow, which scraped past Lincoln's right shoulder, making him unbalanced, giving Lady Ronnie the chance to impale him right in the center of his chest. He fell to the ground like a rock, his eyes wide with his last vision.

Both Rocky and Lana were horrified.

"L-lady Ronnie." The boy was devastated. "I just wanted to help. W-why you..."

"He was a dragon, Rocky. Just like the two girls with him."

"But if he was a dragon, why did not he transformed?" Rocky did not sound convinced.

"Dragons do not change their form when they die." Lana said, looking horrified at the fallen lad. "Their magic does not work if they're dead."

"It hurts, you know."

The three gazed in surprise at Lincoln, now seated. He looked dejected, and blood poured from the hole in his chest, staining his robe. He looked at the three with hatred, and breathed hard.

"RUN!" Lady Ronnie shouted, raising her sword and running to Lincoln.

His green eyes turned red. He was growling and his teeth were sharp, while his skin was scaly and orange. Before Lady Ronnie could approach, he shot fire through his mouth, raising a wall of flames between them.

As soon as the flames were extinguished, they were in front of an orange dragon, as big as a house, looking furiously at them. The sudden growth tore at his tunic, and the cloak looked like a bib turned back across his broad neck. His huge wings were bent at his back, at the tip of his tail was a kind of bone sharp and pointed like a spear. He had horns on the side of his head, similar to a buffalo, and a long white mane running from his head to the middle of his back.

While Rocky stood still, Lana grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to her horse, back into the woods.

Lincoln fired a huge blaze in the direction of Lady Ronnie, who could do nothing but dodge.

He turned to her and spread his wings.

" _No, you will not!"_ The knight thought.

When he took off, she tossed a rope in the dragon's tail.

He flew low, jolting as hard as he could to make her fall.

After a while they passed near a river, and he set fire in the rope, to try to make she fall into the river. However, the rope lasted longer than he expected, and when it broke, they were flying above a waterfall.

The last thing Lady Ronnie saw was the dragon's eyes, now green, staring straight into her eyes.


	5. The aftermath

" _I can only be crazy!"_

Lincoln stepped out of the water, carrying Lady Ronnie in his arms. She was unconscious, probably drowned. He took off his cloak and set it on the ground, laying her on top. He removed the breastplate of her armor and placed his ear on her chest. He quickly began to press her chest a few times and then blow into her mouth, and repeated this procedure until she began to cough, water coming out of her mouth.

He noticed how cute she looked when she was not trying to kill him. He did not usually notice women, as they always followed him. He was still young, and could not control his ability to seduce, as adult dragons usually do. But even if the human girls did not call his attention, this knight had a strange feel on him. Is it possible that...

"Why did you do that?" She asked, voice weak, still recovering.

"You may even have threatened my family and tried to kill me, but I still do not want to see you dead. If you had not been so stubborn, everyone would have gone their way and none of this would have happened."

"How can you still be alive? It was a fatal blow."

He pointed to a scar on his chest where she had impaled him. It looked like a wound of weeks, not minutes.

"Well, to a human or an ordinary dragon perhaps, but my body is a little different. Luckily for me, my heart is more to the right, you have come close, but you missed it."

"So, that will not kill you either?"

Before he could react, she dug her dagger into the left side of Lincoln's chest, causing him to fall. She got up and saw what was left of the rope that had been tied to his tail a few minutes ago, and laced him, as if in a rodeo.

"Are you nuts?" He screamed, his eyes turned red, but he could not transform. "I tried to leave, tried to walk you away, and even saved you from the waterfall. Why do not you leave me alone?"

"Because I'm human, and you an aberration of nature. It's not because you tried to run away from me that I'm going to spare your life." She started to approach, sword in hand. "My king sent me to get an artifact that was stolen by your king, but at no time did I really care. All I wanted was a chance to kill as many dragons as I could, and you're only the first. I'll clean this land of scum like you."

Lincoln just stared at her indifferently, then closed his eyes. If his life would end at that moment, then he would accept it as an adult, even for a foolish reason like the blind hatred of a mad knight.

She prepared to behead him with her sword as a voice pulled her from her homicidal thirst.

"Lady Ronnie, stop!" Lana shouted.

She then noticed Lana and Rocky standing with a horse, staring at her as if she were a contagious disease. She saw the horror in their eyes, the way they looked at Lincoln as if he were the victim of a cruel monster.

It demoralized her from within. Although she had known them for a few days, she had created sympathy for the squires, especially Lana, who reminded her of herself. She even imagined a young Ronnie Anne, watching her as she looked at her father's dead body, but this time, her being the monster.

"W-when you..."

"We followed a trail that ended here, and we saw him take you out of the water." Rocky spoke sternly, as if reproving her. "Lady Ronnie, I know we have not had good relations with dragons since the "Fury", but it does not mean we have to kill each other."

"Rocky, you do not understand what these monsters are capable of." She assumed an inflexible posture, even though she felt devastated inside. "They do not hesitate to do what they please to get what they want. If they get the chance, they could even kill us."

"Then why did he never kill us?" Lana challenged.

"What are you talking about?"

"We've met Mr. Lincoln before." Rocky folded his arms. "He was in town from time to time to buy books, and it's even a friend of my brother, Sir Rusty. He has visited the Academy several times, and has always been very nice to us."

For the first time in years, Ronnie Anne was in doubt. This dragon not only befriended with one of her few friends, but also won the sympathy of the squires. Could he really be peaceful?

Or would it be part of a plot to infiltrate those of its kind in the kingdom?

For now, she needed the confidence of her squires, and she should fulfill the mission for the king. So she had an idea.

"Very well, I will not kill him. However, I can not let him go, so he comes with us."

"What?" Both squires were surprised.

"I do not trust him, or any of his kind." She looked around, and saw that the trees around they were very tall. "Get the other horses, they're trained to stay where we leave them. Let's set up camp here, and I'll think about what to do."

"Lady Ronnie, do you..." Rocky looked as embarrassed as the time Lana jumped into the water.

Ronnie noticed that Lana was red too, and she was looking the other way. She then looked down and realized that her prisoner was naked. The way she tied him up, it was possible to see his manhood appearing. She immediately blushed, and threw his cloak over him.

"Do not stand there! Go get the horses!"

After this awkward moment, they mounted the horse and sped off, still worried about the knight.

She noticed how her prisoner was looking at her with a smug face, and she was embarrassed.

"Look, if you want, just let me go I'll take care of my "little friend" since he bothers you so much."

"Do not act smart. They may even think you're a poor bastard, but we both know the truth".

"What would it be?"

"You're a despicable spy trying to infiltrate our kingdom."

"Well, for your information, I'm not a spy, and that's my kingdom too."

"What are you talking about?" She was intrigued.

"I may be the son of a dragon, but my mother was born in Lincoln. Why do you think I have that name?"

"So you're the son of a deceiver, but you're not a spy?"

"Deceiver? But what are you talking about now?"

"Are you going to tell me that a woman born and raised in the capital knew she had a child with a dragon?"

"No, of course not. She had eleven children with a dragon." He said, with a defiant look.

She was shocked now. A woman from her kingdom not only had a relationship with a dragon, but had almost a dozen children with him? No wonder Lincoln felt quite comfortable getting in and out of town, for him, that kind of sick relationship should be normal.

But then a sudden thought struck her: the two girls. They were very young, which indicated they were the youngest, and Lincoln must have been the same age as her. So their parents certainly started this relationship before the "Fury" when there were no open conflicts between humans and dragons. Possibly, there was an adult dragon and eight other dragon siblings walking through the capital without attracting attention.

So maybe Lincoln was not really dangerous, just a dork who liked books and cared for his younger sisters. A pang of regret passed through her, thinking of how the two girls should be traumatized by what happened. In one moment they were swimming in the lake, and in the other they were being hunted without even understanding the reason.

She came back to reality and remembered that Lincoln was still tied up in an embarrassing and totally naked position. She let go of the knot that bound his hands to his feet and set him sitting against a tree.

"So can you at least take that dagger?" He smiled uneasily. "I'm already healing around it, and it's not a pleasant sensation."

"Let's get one thing straight, Lame-o." She stared into his eyes. "I do not trust you, and I still want to kill you. The only reason you're still alive are those kids, and if you show the slightest sign that you're trying to hurt us, I'll have the reason I want to tear your head off. Was I clear?"

He gulped and nodded.

She took off her armor and her wet clothes, curling up in her cape, like a towel. She put her clothes and armor on some nearby branches and decided to wait for her squires to return with the horses.

After a while, the squires arrived with the horses, and were relieved to see that Lady Ronnie did not deceive them.

They set up camp even though it was still clear. Lady Ronnie took a map of the area, and tried to determine the best route. Lincoln's two sisters had been thrown to the other side. Seeing Lincoln's way of acting, she imagined the girls to be as sturdy as he was, or he would not have thrown them that far. Violent or not, Lincoln's sisters were a risk to the mission, as they could bring the rest of the family, who probably knew the forest as Ronnie would never know.

" _That's it!"_

She realized that listening to Lana and Rocky was a great decision since they now had a prisoner who lived in this forest.

All she had to do was find a way to manipulate him.

"So you was unmasked, were not you?" Rocky asked, still incredulous.

"Rocky, what makes you think I was pretending to be someone else?" Lincoln was treating the boy as a friend, even though he was tied up and with a dagger in his chest.

"No, that's not it. Whenever you showed up in the city, it seemed so natural. If it were not for today, you could still enter and leave town without arousing suspicion.

"If it were not for the current situation, I would not have to hide my origins. Still, I must admit that I feel a little foolish to be discovered that way. Lady Ronnie Anne is clearly a headstrong knight.

"Lincoln, are you mad at us?" Lana was apprehensive.

"No, Lana, I'm not angry." He looked at her sweetly, making her blush. "You are squires, you must accompany your knight on missions, even if they do things you do not approve of. You will be great knights, you can be sure of that."

Both squires were embarrassed by the compliment. Lana stared at the dagger, and she could not help feeling bad.

"Y-you want me to take it off?"

"My dear, I'd love to, but right now this dagger is the only thing that keeps your knight from trying to kill me, and I do not want to get you in trouble."

Lana looked sad, though neither Rocky nor Lady Ronnie could understand why.

"All right, let's get down to business!" Lady Ronnie cut the empathic moment. "We have to go to the Dragon King's abandoned castle, and you're going to take us there."

For a moment Lincoln stood still, but then he began to laugh madly. The three looked at him in disbelief.

"Hahahaha! Please tell me you're kidding!"

"Can I know what's so funny?" She crossed her arms, and looked at him seriously.

"You are clearly violent and suicidal, but I do not think you would take two squires to certain death."

"What you mean?" She was apprehensive now.

"The castle is not "abandoned", it is "off limits". Only the royal family can enter, and some dragons are guarding the perimeter. My older sisters, for example."

Lady Ronnie was devastated. She had planned to invade an abandoned castle and look for the staff, not find a battalion of dragons.

However, she now had a chance to play with other cards.

"And how is your relationship with your sisters?" She said, a wicked grin on her face.

Lincoln gulps hard. She could not be serious, could she?

"You still want to go there? What do you hope to achieve by entering dragon sacred territory?"

"I expect to recover an artifact that your king stole."

"And what would it be?"

"Have you heard of the Alchemist's Staff?"

Lincoln looked at her in disbelief.

"Do you want to break into the castle for this?"

"And why not? My king needs the staff to name his successor before he dies, and the staff can only be used by those with royal blood. So, what use would it have for your kind?"

"Okay, first, I do not know why you think it was stolen, but I guarantee It is safe where it is. And secondly, it's not even at the castle, it's in the princess's cottage.

"The dragon king's daughter?" Lady Ronnie was worried now.

"What? No, his wife, the daughter of King Albert."

She was speechless. He could not be telling the truth, could he?

"Do not lie to us, you idiot. How could the princess be here after she had been kidnapped for thirty years?

"Where do you learn these things? She was never kidnapped, she ran away with my ... the Dragon King, and they got married. When he died and the castle became forbidden territory, she went to live in a house in the mountains to the west, near the sea. She is the only human that no dragon would dare to attack."

Now Lady Ronnie had gotten lucky. Despite being an intellectual, Lincoln was certainly a fool. How he did not realize she was manipulating him to get information. If the princess was still alive, and the dragons would not dare attack her, she only had to bring the princess back.

Still, she could not help but feel disgusted. How could a princess accept to go to Dragon Domain and live among those monsters who were capable of revenge so cruel as to almost decimate the capital.

It was already dusk, so she decided to close the day.

"Okay, enough for today. Tomorrow we leave, and our dear guide will take us to the princess and the staff."

"Hey, wait there. I never said I agreed with your crazy plan. Why would I help you?"

"First, because you even seem like a nice guy, so you will not want my squires to follow a crazy girl into dangerous territory without security, that you can provide. And second, (sigh) you have my word, by the name of my family, that if we go back to the city safely, no one there will know what you really are."

Lincoln was speechless. He had already accepted that he could never return to the capital, but he really cared about the squires.

She proved to be stubborn, and would take the kids with her on her mission. He could do nothing but bow his head in defeat.

She was pleased with the submission of her prisoner. Since when she was a little girl, she always got what she wanted by force or conquest. No one could with her determination.

"I'll take that as a yes." She looked at the squires. "Let's take turns watching him." Rocky, you go first, then Lana and I at last.


	6. Secret Sibling Meeting

During the night, the three knights did a good job of watching the prisoner/guide.

Rocky spent his shift talking to Lincoln, as if the current conditions were normal. The young man was not bothered by the fact that Lincoln was a dragon, but Lady Ronnie's attitude toward Lincoln.

During Lana's shift, she just kept quiet, looking at Lincoln with remorse. She felt guilty that he was in such an inhuman state.

During the last shift, Lady Ronnie took the time to prepare the horses.

She was still sleepy. The effort she made while pursuing Lincoln and the watch shifts made it difficult to rest.

The knight was feeling more and more tired, as she struggled to pack things to continue their journey.

Suddenly she just fell to the floor and slept heavily.

Lincoln, who was awake, noticed the knight's sudden fall, but did not bother.

"You have to teach me how to do this, Lucy."

From the darkness came a girl with long black hair that covered part of her face. She wore strips of cloth wrapped around her chest and what looked like an improvised skirt made of old cloths. She looked like a sinister forest apparition.

"It's my secret. I can not tell anyone. Not even for you." She smiled modestly. "You want help with this dagger?"

"No, I can get away from here, but I have to accompany them until the end of the mission."

"Why would you do that?" She was incredulous.

"Because of me."

They both looked in the direction of the voice, and were surprised to see Lana awake, looking at them.

"Lana!" Lucy was both shocked and relieved. She ran to the girl to hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"Lady Ronnie Anne received a task from the king and chose me and Rocky to accompany her."

"Who's Rocky?" Lucy asked, uninterested.

Lana pointed to the boy sleeping next to one of the horses, and as soon as Lucy saw him, she felt a strange shiver run down her spine.

"He is the brother of Sir Rusty, Lana's teacher at the Academy." Lincoln answered.

"So are you going to accompany them to make sure she does not find out that Lana is a dragon?"

"Actually, I'm going to protect them from her."

"As well? Is not she a Silent Knight? Why would you have to protect the squires of their own knight?"

"She's totally crazy, Lucy. I was with Lisa and Lily in the lake and she started chasing us. I've transformed in front of her and yet she did not stop following me, and even tried to kill me after I'd stopped her from drowning in the waterfall."

Lucy turned her gaze to the waterfall, imagining the scene. She knew that her brother would save someone who was in danger, even an unpleasant person.

"I understand. And what did the old man send her to look for?"

"He wants the Alchemist's Staff." Lana looked disappointed. "He wants to choose a successor, and he will use the staff to know which noble can inherit the crown."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I do not have much choice. Although there are not many of us in Dragon Domain, some of the other dragons can attack them, or end up exposing Lana. Besides, she intended to enter the castle to look for the staff."

On hearing this, Lucy was furious.

"This filthy human intended to desecrate our father's resting place?"

"Yes, and that would be a mistake, since the staff is not even in his grave." Lana finished. "I was getting worried already, since I could not tell the truth."

"You're not going to take her to our house, are you?"

Lincoln just smiled, with a defiant look.

"I made her think she was taking information from me, but I was manipulating her. I just wonder how she'll react when she learns that she tried to kill the prince of the kingdom she swore to defend. Speaking of defending , could you see if there are any other dragons on the route and warn them not to bother me or my "guests"?

"Of course, my prince." She said, bowing.

"Thank you, my princess." He tried to bow too, and the three siblings began to laugh.

"Well, I'd better go. Night dragons like me do not get along with the sun. Good luck on your trip, my dear siblings."

Lucy hugged them and disappeared into the night.

"When is she going to stop with this "night dragon" thing?" Lana was annoyed. "We are dragons, not vampires."

"I know, but she's who she is. Let's just respect that. If she really wants to live like a fire breathing bat, so be it."

Lana just shrugged, and approached her brother, sitting beside him.

"You'd better go to sleep, Lana. We'll have a long day ahead of us."

She looked at him sadly, her gaze focused on the dagger in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Lincoln. If it were not for me, you could go away any time you wanted, instead of going through this."

"Lana, it's not your fault. You are following your dream of being a knight, and I would be a bad brother if I did not support you."

"But Lincoln, if she takes the staff, then..."

Lincoln spread his arms, breaking the rope. He then hugged Lana, careful not to press the dagger.

"Hey, you can stop there, Lana. I never said she would take the staff. I agreed to take "the brave knights" to the princess's cottage, but I never said they would have the staff, or that their present owner would give it."

Lana allowed herself a smile.

Lincoln kissed her on the forehead, carried her to her sleeping bag, as if she were still a little girl.

He watched with tenderness as his sister slept.

Lincoln then walked over to Lady Ronnie, and carried her to her sleeping bag.

Lincoln realized he was still naked, except for his cloak, and the sun would rise in a few hours.

He disappeared into the forest with one goal in mind. The next day would come soon, and he should be ready for what he would face.


	7. Link

Lady Ronnie woke up as soon as the sun came up. First, she felt guilty for falling asleep in the middle of the shift, but then she smelled something cooking. She saw a campfire heat her cauldron, the smell made her mouth water. She was about to compliment her squires when she saw they were still asleep.

Her blood froze.

Lincoln was not in the tree where she left him. He just waited for they to sleep to escape. At that moment, he should be coming back with more dragons to kill them. It was then that she heard the sound of the river water.

There, she saw her prisoner bathing. She blushed at his muscular, defined body, his toned abs and the way his hair become when wet, and... the dagger in his chest?

"Good Morning!" He greeted, coming out of the water. "I see you like to get up early, too."

As soon as he came out of the water, he again exposed his whole body, but soon wore a tunic apparently made from leaves of trees. As he approached, she looked again into his deep green eyes, his warm smile...

He possessed something that expressed nobility, whether by his appearance, his posture, or even his manner of speaking. If she did not know what he really was, she might even be attracted to his attributes, but she was stronger than the desires of her body.

She returned to reality and drew her sword in a defensive position.

"How did you let go?"

He just smiled arrogantly and continued to walk toward her.

"This has a glaring flaw." He pointed to the dagger in his chest. "As much as it keeps me from transform, I'm still physically stronger and tougher than the three of you together."

"And why did not you leave?"

"If you have forgotten, we have an agreement, and a gentleman does not go back on his promise."

"Do you really consider yourself a gentleman? It's a lot of petulance on your part."

"Well, anyway, my stew must be ready by now, and we're going to need all the energy we can to get in the cottage before the party."

Ronnie stopped to think. That seemed a little suspicious.

"What are you talking about?"

"In three days, it will be one of my sisters' birthday, and I intend to attend. Maybe Rocky and Lana might be invited, but you do not seem like the kind of person who socializes with other people."

"I know how to socialize. With PEOPLE."

"Wow, that hurts. Why is it so hard to accept that we are people too?"

"You are monstrous aberrations that destroyed the kingdom years ago. How can I believe you are people?"

Lincoln was really hurt. He looked at her with a look of regret as she stared at him with hatred. They just stared at each other, not moving a single muscle, until Lana interrupted them.

"Morning, guys!"

They quickly changed to a more friendly attitude, both had their reasons to make the girl happy. At that moment, they noticed that Rocky was also awake, but had returned to his silent attitude.

The four ate the meal prepared by Lincoln, and even Lady Ronnie had to admit that the food was excellent.

After the morning meal, they clean the camp and store their things.

They prepared to leave when Rocky made an observation.

"Lady Ronnie, we only have three horses. How's Mr. Lincoln going with us?"

"Well, one of us will have to share the horse with him. I see no other way to solve the problem."

"Actually, you will not have to." Lincoln put some of the luggage on his back. "If you do not remember of yesterday, I can run as fast as your horses. In fact, you must accompany me. If we follow the route I've chosen and go as quickly as possible, we should be at the cottage in two days.

"Is not that going to ruin your plans?" Lady Ronnie assumed a mocking tone.

"Do not worry about it. In a few days, we'll probably be back to our routines."

The four of them rode on, with Lincoln moving faster than the horses. Lady Ronnie was a little annoyed by the presence of Lincoln in the group, but she had to admit that he was useful. Not only did he know the way, but his attitude gave them a sense of security.

Most impressive of all was the fact that he had the dagger in his chest for all this time and still managed to maintain his pace. He seemed to be willing to continue with the dagger if it made them trust him. He was somehow adorable and stupid at the same time.

At the end of the day, they stopped at the base of a mountain, where there was a small clearing, protected by trees on one side and the mountain on the other. They were about to prepare a small area to rest when Lincoln realized they would not prepare a campfire.

"Look, I wanted to understand that. Why do not you make campfires? And eat that food that does not need to be cooked?"

"Are you crazy or what?" The knight was furious with the comment. "We are a secret group in enemy territory. If any of the other dragons see a fire, they'll know we're here!"

"Hahahahaha!" Lincoln laughed so hard that he even started to cry. "My lady, I do not want to be disrespectful, but this is the dumbest thing you've said since we met. Tell me, have you ever seen another dragon besides me or my sisters? Or did you see any dragon in its beast form besides me?"

She was speechless about it.

Even in her travels through the other kingdoms, she has never seen a dragon, not even in the distance. She had seen paintings and statues, and had imagined what it would be like to face a dragon. Not to mention the "Fury", her fight with Lincoln the day before was her only experience with a dragon. Something was wrong.

"How do you do that? How can you hide your true forms?"

"Look at me."

For a moment she was confused. Since she'd seen him naked the day before, she'd avoided looking at him. However, she did not understand what he meant. Even if she found him attractive, he was nothing different from a normal human.

And that's when she understood.

"THAT is your true form. You only change when you have to!"

"Now you understood." Lincoln was radiant. "Normally, we are exactly like humans, but when it is necessary, we appeal to the beast form. Even in Dragon Domain, we walk the territory in our normal form. It is not as if we are winged beasts all the time, so avoiding the comfort of a campfire for fear of being sighted is stupidity. There are few of us who live in houses, so campfires are so common that I doubt anyone will be suspicious of any "secret mission" going on."

"And how will I know it's not your trick to ambush us?"

Both squires looked at her in complete disbelief. After all, she was still wary of Lincoln.

"Well, with all respect Lady Ronnie, can you explain what's going on here?" Rocky could not remain silent anymore.

"What are you talking about?"

"It does not seem just prudence of you." Lana assumed a reproachful tone and crossed her arms. "It's as if you have something personal against the dragons."

The knight was offended, but eventually recognized that her squires deserved to understand why she was so aggressive toward Lincoln. She sat down and told them to sit down too.

"It's ok. If you really want to know, then yes, I have a deep hatred for dragons. When I was a child, my father was one of the greatest Silent Knights, and eventually died during the "Fury", protecting our kingdom. Then, years ago, my brother was sent to Dragon Domain on a diplomatic mission, of which only two knights returned, counting how they were wiped out as soon as they arrived without having time to negotiate."

Although Rocky and Lana were perplexed by the story, Lincoln was irritated. He knew what had really happened on that "diplomatic mission," but he now understood why Lady Ronnie hated his kind. Even if he did not like to know that she believed in this version, he could not help feeling sympathy for the knight.

He then knelt down and put his hand on the dagger's haft, making them all look at him. With a tug and a groan of pain, he removed the dagger, and held it out to the knight.

"If you really think killing a dragon will solve your problems, then get it over with. I will not resist." He pointed to the forest. "In that direction you will find a river. Follow the course of the river and you will arrive at a lake that is in front of the cottage of the princess. I only ask that, after you kill me, you stop this crusade of revenge."

Lady Ronnie picked up the dagger, still stunned at what was happening.

She had realized how much Lincoln looked foolishly kind, but that was totally stupid. At the same time, she could not help but feel admiration that he was willing to die for his people. Before she could say anything, Lana ran ahead of him, raising her arms to blocking him with a determined look.

"If you're going to kill him, you'll have to kill me first!"

The knight was surprised. She realized that the squires seemed to still like Lincoln even after they knew what he was. Even so, she did not understand why Lana was so willing to protect the dragon.

"Okay, let's calm down." She accepted her defeat, and threw the dagger to the ground. "I do not trust him or his kind, but since you two are so willing to trust him, I'll leave my personal opinion aside and try to give him a chance." She then stared at Lincoln. "Since you do not think we're in danger, what do you suggest we do?"

"Well, to begin with, I'd have them fetch the wood while you prepare things for a roast, and in the meantime I'd go in the woods to get some animal to eat."

The knight had to agree that biscuits, fruits, and some vegetables were not enough for a full-day effort, especially for not stopping at all during the whole day.

She accepted the proposal and told Rocky and Lana to get as much firewood as they could. Lincoln left his cloak and entered the forest, returning only a few minutes later, with a wild pig not much larger than a medium-sized dog, without the skin and apparently washed.

"Not that I'm interested in your life, but are you a savage or an intellectual after all?" She tried not to show it, but she still had difficulty looking at him without getting lost in thoughts about the lad.

"A bit of both. When I was a kid, my father taught me how to hunt and how to fight to protect my sisters, while my mother taught me how to read, write, and take care of a home."

"The best of both worlds, huh?" She stopped to think. "Every time you mention your family, you talk about sisters. Do not you have brothers?"

"Nope. Of all eleven of us, I am the only man, having five older sisters and five younger sisters."

"Wow, did not your parents have any hobbies? I do not want to imagine what it's like to live with so many people in the forest."

"We do not live in the forest. It's like I said, some of us live in houses, while others are content to set up camp in different places, a sort of nomadic way of living."

"So your family has a house? And where exactly do you live?"

"Actually, very close to where we're going. As I said, it's the birthday of one of my sisters, so I've chosen a route that is beneficial to both of us."

"You seem to care a lot about your family."

"And why not? We're a family, are not we? What are the brothers for?"

She got a little depressed right now. She paused to think about how devastating it was to lose her big brother years ago. She almost did it with five girls, two of whom she had already frightened. Assessing the situation, she began to question if she was not the monster of the group.

Rocky arrived bringing in a good amount of logs and twigs, and began to set the fire, while Lincoln seasoned the wild pig. Lady Ronnie was impressed to find that Lincoln had seasonings in pockets inside his cloak. However, she was more impressed when Lana came back carrying an absurd amount of logs.

She did not seem to be having difficulty with weight, but with balance. Even after discovering that Lana was strong enough to always beat the other squires, even whem outnumbered, she had no idea how strong the girl was.

Although she liked Lana, she began to find the girl suspicious. Strength, ability, willingness. After discovering that dragons walked naturally between people, she began to be suspicious.

As soon as the wild pig was ready, they feasted. Even though she was of noble family, the knight did not restrain herself while eating. She could not tell if it was the meat or the seasonings of Dragon Domain that Lincoln had used, but that was the best roast she had ever eaten. Lana, on the other hand, had even less manners and looked like an animal eating. Even Rocky, who spent most of his time passively, was advancing voraciously against the food. Lincoln, on the other hand, showed perfect self-control and refined manners when eating.

As soon as the meal was over, both Rocky and Lana fell like stones in their sleeping bags. Lady Ronnie was about to get ready for bed when she saw that Lincoln was going into the woods carrying some wood.

Intrigued, she followed him silently, hoping to be able to speak to him privately when he stopped. From behind a tree, she saw him head for a hot spring at the base of the mountain, and light a small fire in front of the water. He undressed and hung his cloak and tunic on a nearby tree, and went into the water, closing his eyes and immediately assuming a serene expression on his face.

That gave the knight an idea.

She also took off her clothes, and hung them in the same tree that Lincoln had hung his.

"Hey, do you mind if I come in?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, Lincoln was surprised by the sight of the beautiful knight's body. Her soft curves and set muscles, her firm breasts practically staring at him. He immediately placed his hands under the water, in the region of his waist, his face became as red as the flames that he released the day before.

"Oh, do not tell me the young man with ten sisters has never seen a naked girl?" She teased him, slowly approaching the water.

"I-it's not the s-same thing. They are my sisters. Dragons are not attracted to relatives."

"So you you think I'm attractive?" She took on a sensual stance and a seductive look, making him even more red.

"W-well, it's just... I mean... you... dammit."

She put aside the seductive attitude and went into the water, which reached her neck as she sat down.

"Relax, Lame-o. I'm just messing with you."

Lincoln was panicking. In an instant she wanted to cut off his head, and in the other she was flirting with him.

It was impossible for him to understand what was going on inside the knight's head, but still he could not help looking at her. He always had problems with girls, but they were always attracted to him. None of them had put a sword and a dagger into his chest the same day. Incredibly, he found that aggressiveness appealing.

For a while they were silent, Lincoln embarrassed as Ronnie stared at him with hungry eyes, a defiant smile on her face. Seeing that he did not react for some time, she decided to break the ice.

"Lincoln, if I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?"

"What do you mean?" He was taken aback by the question. "I know you do not trust me, but I did not lie at any time."

"No, it's not something you said, but something you did. I want to know what's between you and Lana."

Lincoln's blood froze. He believed in sincerity, but this was Lana's secret, not his.

"What do you mean?"

"It's more than clear that there's something between you. The way you look at each other, the gentle way you talk to her, and how she imposed herself a few hours ago when you did your great selfless act. I do not know what you want, but I must remind you that she's only sixteen."

As much as Lincoln wanted to keep Lana's secret, he could not let Lady Ronnie insinuate that he was trying something dirty with his little sister.

"(Sigh) Okay, but you have to swear by your title of Silent Knight that you will not tell anyone, not even your king, unless Lana allows it."

The knight was caught off guard. She wanted answers, but now he was demanding something that would morally oblige her to hide something from her kingdom.

"It's ok. You have my word that I will not tell anyone unless Lana allows it."

"Well, if you're okay, then fine. The truth is... Lana is my sister."

"And with "sister", you mean..."

"Exactly. My younger sister, five years younger than me."

She was a little surprised. After what happened earlier, it was understandable that Lana would stand in front of her brother, even if she pretended he was just an acquaintance.

"Wow, this is surprising. I never imagined that we would have a dragon at the Academy. If I may ask, why has your family enrolled her at the Academy?"

"It's her dream. Years ago, our older sister, Lori, met a Silent Knight and ended up having a link with him. After that, Lana wanted to be a knight, just like him.

"Sorry, but what is this "link"?" She began to take an interest in the story. It is not every day that a dragon is willing to tell you about the secrets of its kind.

"It's something that happens to us. When we fall in love, it is something definitive, for all life. We simply can not live without the person with whom we created the link, and we will do anything to make the other person happy."

"I must admit, I did not expect this from you." Lady Ronnie was beginning to sympathize with the dragons. "It sounds like something really wonderful."

"Well, I believe it is, but personally I find it somewhat uncomfortable while it does not occur."

"As well?"

"Until a dragon create a link with someone, we emanate a certain pheromone that attracts the opposite sex, to have a way to begin a relationship. In my case, it seems that I have some problem with mine, because the girls do not stop chasing me. It has reached the point where I use seasoning in my cloak to try to go unnoticed in the capital."

Lady Ronnie now understood why she was attracted to Lincoln. She was drawn to his body by being a potential candidate for him. She had already had problems with gallants and their indiscreet proposals, but she could not imagine what it must feel like to be harassed at all times.

"If so, why do you insist on going to the capital? Any of your sisters can not go instead?"

"You've met Lana, have not you? My other sisters are not much different when it comes to temperament. Besides, I have to go to the Academy, and keep an eye on Lana."

"So that's how you met Sir Rusty and Rocky. Your sister must be very important for you to take such a risk. I can not imagine how Sir Rusty would react if he discovered her secret."

"Well, actually, he already knows. Both him and Rocky. In a training session in the woods with Rocky, she lost control and transformed in front of them. You can not imagine how much I had to beg for him not to oust Lana from the Academy."

"Now I understand why he recommended the two to this mission. Still, I do not understand how you persuaded him to keep your secret."

"Have you ever seen Lana's puppy eyes? It can melt a glacier. Besides, we've made a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Although Rocky had sympathized with Lana and was willing to keep the secret, Sir Rusty thought the risk was worth some reward, so we agreed that I would give him some spicy grapes when it was time to harvest."

Lady Ronnie was shocked. She knew that Sir Rusty might be a jerk most of the time, but she did not imagine he could be so low as to extort a guy who would do anything to fulfill his sister's dream.

Still, she could not help but think she would do the same thing.

One of the most expensive products of the kingdom was the wine of spicy grapes, which only grow on volcanic soil, and the only volcano in the kingdom is exactly in Dragon Domain, causing the kingdom to import wine from other kingdoms. Getting fresh wine of the best quality to keep a secret seemed like a great deal.

"Still, it seems a bit unfair. I mean, I know it's important to your sister and everything, but that's relatively expensive. The last time I checked, these grapes cost one hundred silver coins per pound."

"Well, in the kingdom's markets, yes, but here in Dragon Domain is just a natural resource like any other. In fact, before the "Fury", there was a vineyard to supply the whole kingdom, but since the whole area became forbidden territory, the only peaceful solution that King Albert found was to buy from other kingdoms."

She noticed that he looked sad about it.

"You do not seem to be satisfied with this situation."

"Do you think I like hiding in my own kingdom? If it had not been for the current impasse, we would probably have overcome the "Fury" a long time ago."

"What do you mean?"

"As you may know, the dragon princess forbade any human to enter Dragon Domain after Sir Daniel attacked the king. What you do not know is that he did not die at the time, only some time later. While he was alive, she could rule the kingdom in his name, but when he died the authority was taken, until the next Dragon King be crowned.

"So, until she gets married, the dragons do not take orders from anyone?" She was intrigued. If the dragons had no command, then how come there has been no conflict in the last few years?

"Actually, there are two problems. First, tradition says that the eldest daughter only becomes queen if she gets married and there is no son, older or younger. Second, she may command the dragons, but she can not revoke the decree that was given with the king's authority. And even she is suffering from it, since she can not leave Dragon Domain while on temporary command."

"So you have a dragon prince too? I confess I'm surprised. Do you know him?"

"Well, you could say we're very close." He was now more confident and playful. "What kinda makes our alliance an act of betrayal, but he sure would let it go."

"So I'm being led by a big shot? How lucky I am. So that's why you live near the..."

She froze, realizing something crucial she had ignored.

"Wait, is your prince and your princess children of the Dragon King with Princess Rita?"

"Yes, exactly. As I said, she ran away with him, and they married in Dragon Domain."

"But then, your prince is not only the inheritor of Dragon Domain, but also the inheritor of the entire Silent Valley!"

"He certainly is, but he does not care. He has no intention of being king of either side of the kingdom. Just like me, he just wants to have a quiet life by reading a good book under a tree."

"You're telling me that he could claim all this territory, and he's not going because he just do not want to?" She was more annoyed than surprised. "He could put an end to this whole current situation by unifying the kingdom into one."

"Hey, I did not say he's not going to take over the kingdom, I said he has no personal interest in it. Even so, he knows we can not continue in the current situation, so as soon as possible, he will become king and then allow humans to enter and exit Dragon Domain again, even though he has responsibilities that keep him from leaving Dragon Domain."

"Wait, if he becomes king, can not you get out of here?"

"Unfortunately, the Dragon King must stay in Dragon Domain unless one of his relatives agrees to rule while he is away. And I guess after all these years of not being able to get out, his sister will not want to stay here."

Lady Ronnie felt bad for the prince's fate. On the one hand, he could end the conflicts between the two species, but then he would lose his freedom. Even though she was a knight, she knew she could come and go through the kingdom, and even refuse a mission if she did not agree. But what should it be like to be able to rule over the whole kingdom but not in he's own destiny?"

"Well, I guess I'm done here." Lincoln started to get up. "Do you mind looking the other way?"

"Come on." She said, getting up at once. "If you act like this when a girl stands in front of you, how will you create your "link"?"

"I've seen naked girls. As I said, women chase after me." He looked down, blushing violently. "It's just that... with you... I feel like... I want to keep looking."

This made her embarrassed, too.

She had never been praised for her appearance by a really sincere person with no second intentions. Although she did not want to admit it, she was actually feeling something stronger than distrust for the lad. Something hot, which left her breathless.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her guide's neck, staring into his eyes as she hugged him tightly.

"Tell me, how do you know you've already had that "link"?"

"W-when I realize I can not live without that person. When I can not think of anything or anyone besides her." He was trying to keep himself under control, but feeling her body against his own left him in another reality.

"Then I must have a link, because I can not stop thinking about you."

She began to kiss him violently, as if there was no tomorrow. He returned the kiss, their tongues struggling for control.

They stroked each other, their hands sliding freely without any restraint.

Lincoln put his hands on the knight's firm, soft buttocks, releasing a soft moan.

She decided to feel Lincoln's firm six-pack, her hands feeling each part of the Young man's firm chest.

They were in paradise.

Until her hands felt two scars.

She stopped the kiss. Her blood froze as she ran her hands over the marks her blades had left on Lincoln's chest. Her mind reminiscent of how she tried, relentlessly, to kill the man who was now giving her the best emotion she'd ever felt in her life.

From the moment she met him, he was gentle and kind to her, and all she did was treat him with disdain and hurt him. Even now, she could feel that he was really being sincere and kind, and not just feeling physical attraction. She looked him in the eye and saw the same sincerity she had seen from the first moment she saw him.

"Why?" She brought him back to reality, tears in her eyes. "Why do not you hate me? I tried to kill you. I used your sister and another kid to blackmail you. I spoke ill of your kind. How can you look at me without a single trace of anger?

He put his hands on her face, wiping away the tears. He looked at her tenderly, and smiled sincerely.

"I confess I felt angry at you when you attacked me. And I felt even more when tou stabbed me after I saved your life. But after you told the reason for hating dragons, the anger was gone. I know what it's like to feel angry when someone we love is taken from us, and I could not consider myself a good person if I thought ill of you because of it."

"You make it sound so easy. How do you deal with anger?"

"With love. I know that when I'm bad, I have my family to comfort me. Thinking about them gives me the strength to move on, no matter how. Do not you have anyone to vent your suffering with?"

"I do not let people come near me. It's been a long time since I stopped caring about my well-being. It all came down to avenging my family or dying in combat."

Suddenly he hugged her. Not to feel her body, but to comfort her. Their hearts beat as one. At that moment, she realized that she would do anything to feel this comfort every day.

Lincoln, however, felt he could not live without her. Even with her strong temper and seemingly unsteady humor, she was the only girl who had aroused his interest. The others flirted with him, even undressed in front of him, but he showed no reaction at all. He was desperately in need of the company of this moody knight, and would not want it any other way.

"Did you mean it when you said you could not stop thinking about me?" He hesitated, searching for the right words. "Because I think I'm feeling a link with you."

"Really?" She took on a smug face and a defiant look. "What if I did not mean it?"

"Then I will not leave you alone until you feel the same for me."

"All right, Lame-o." She lay on the floor, seductively inviting him to come closer. "Show me what you can do to make me love you."

"Are you sure you want this?" He approached slowly, his eyes full of desire. "We have to leave in the morning, and I do not know if I can hold myself after we start."

"So this is going to be a long night!"

* * *

 **Sorry to end like this, but I promise that will have other hot scenes ahead.**

 **Tomorrow, I'll put the next chapter of Legend of Dragon Domain and also start the next arc of Earth Loudest Heroes.**

 **The two are somewhat large, so I can not tell what time I'm going to post, because I'll have to finish translating.**


	8. Dragon Domain's Royal Family

As the sun rose, Lady Ronnie awoke, slowly stretching herself. Sleeping on the floor, even if near the hot spring could be uncomfortable, but she had a lovely and warm body pillow to spend the night.

She remembered the night they had, and the energy her partner had. She could imagine how his mother could have eleven children.

Soon, he began to awaken as well, his green eyes shining like a cat's in the dim light of morning.

They just stood there, smiling as they looked into each other's eyes, and then approached for a long, passionate kiss. It was not like the rude kisses they gave at night, it was beautiful, with more love than desire. They could stay at it for hours if they were not interrupted.

"Ahem!"

They looked at the trees and found an embarrassed Lana trying not to look at the two naked "colleagues".

They quickly got up and ran to get their clothes.

"Lana, you should not approach that way." Ronnie tried to give a sermon, but she herself was filled with shame. "How did you find us?"

"Well, it's just..."

"No problem, Lana." Lincoln smiled at her, as if the situation were normal. "She knows."

Lana was shocked. She knew that her brother was not the type who lies down with any girl, but one night together did not seem to justify telling her secret to someone who could not only end her dream but her life as well.

"I woke up and was alone in the camp, so I sniffed you two up here."

"Wait, did you smell us from here?" The knight was impressed by the girl's ability. If she became a knight, she would surely be a relentless tracker. "I must admit, you keep surprising me."

"Actually, it was not difficult. You do not have a nose like ours, but you two left a very strong smell in that area. It looks like you guys got heavy in the whole place."

The young adults felt even more embarrassed. They did not imagine that their lovemaking was so wild. But then Lincoln noticed something suspicious.

"Wait, what do you mean by waking up alone? Where's Rocky?"

"Well, you'd better see it yourself."

Intrigued, the two lovers followed Lana to the camp, and did not notice anything strange until they looked at Rocky's sleeping bag. Not only was it empty, as there was a little wooden doll of a girl with black hair.

"Lucy!" Lincoln was shocked by the discovery.

"Who?"

"Our sister, Lucy." Lana was head down, still unsure with the knight knowing her secret. "I think she took him through the night while I slept and you... well, you know."

"And why would your sister take Rocky?"

"She just turned eighteen." Lincoln was embarrassed now. "It's at that age that we begin to feel the link. But in the first few months, we get a little bit obsessed, and we can be a little crude in approach."

"What do you mean, "a little crude"? She was furious with Lincoln's tranquility. "She kidnapped him!"

"Look, I know it sounds bad, but I guarantee Lucy would not hurt him. She spends most of her time reading, and despite being a little sinister, she would not hurt a fly."

As much as Ronnie was comfortable with her dragon lover, she could not help but feel uncomfortable knowing that he finds his own sinister sister. In Lincoln's current situation, what could be "sinister"?

"And what do you propose we do?"

"Do you trust me?" He looked her straight in the eyes, determinedly.

She nodded at once, and he smiled.

Lincoln handed her his cloak, and his eyes went red again. He grew up, bursting the tunic of leaves and taking on his feral form.

Despite what they spent together, Ronnie still felt a little uncomfortable seeing him like this.

"Put the things in the bags, let's get to the cottage flying. After leaving you there I will go after Lucy." Despite the change in size, his voice remained as sweet and reliable as ever. "She usually stays in a cave next to the beach when she want to be alone. If she wants privacy, she will be there."

Lana helped her knight to take all the luggage and put them on the horses. They sat on Lincoln's long neck, holding tight to his mane.

With some difficulty, he took the three horses between his paws, and took off.

Ronnie was amazed to fly. It was an incredible sensation to feel the wind on her face, besides the sight she had of that altitude. Lana seemed not to be so enthusiastic about the situation, she was probably already accustomed to this kind of travel.

In a few minutes they caught sight of the lake Lincoln had spoken of, and it was possible to see a large house made of logs near the lake. Ronnie could not understand how someone would call it a cottage when it looked like a mansion.

Lincoln landed in front of the house, and released the horses, which immediately went to drink water on the shore of the lake.

Seeing the house up close, Ronnie imagined it would really be the home of royalty. The wood was of an artisan type, probably used to make furniture, not houses. From the windows, it was possible to deduce that the house had three floors. Despite being at the base of the mountain, the house was in a space that was obviously dug in the rock, probably by the claws of a huge dragon, and was sheltered from the rain.

On the other side, it was possible to see a vegetable garden and stables, plus a pigsty. Even so, it had a certain magnificence.

"I'm going after Lucy." Lincoln prepared to fly again, with a determined look. "Just say I sent you and you will be well received."

Before she could say anything, Lincoln goes higher and higher and disappeared above the mountain.

The two of them headed for the door, Lady Ronnie completely nervous while Lana was quiet.

"How can you be so calm?" She asked, still incredulous. "In this house royalty lives, it's not like we're going to visit the market."

"It's not my first rodeo." Lana replied with a shrug. "I'm already used to the royal family, and I do not mind being myself here."

Ronnie realized that Lana was a tomboy from the moment she saw her, but her attitude was very unruly. She wondered how such a coarse and crude girl could be the sister of someone as noble and unselfish as her Lincoln.

She blushed at the realization that she thought of Lincoln as "hers." It seemed that she, who avoided relating to people was entering into a serious relationship very fast.

Lana knocked on the door, and they waited until a girl appeared in the doorway.

She had short brown hair and freckles on her face. She wore a dark purple punk version of bard clothes, and carried a weird-looking mahogany lute with several skulls carved into the wood. She looked at the two girls with narrow eyes, as if she was suspicious.

"Can I help you?" She said bitterly.

"Greetings. I am Lady Ronnie Anne Santiago, and this is my squire Lana Loud. We came here with her brother, Lincoln, to deal with an urgent matter with Princess Rita."

She scratched her chin, and thought for a moment.

"Well, I think you can come in. I just do not know if she'll can to talk to you."

The musical girl opened the door and let them in, and held up her hand to Ronnie.

"No weapons in the royalty house. No exceptions."

Lady Ronnie was not about to hand over her sword. Even if Lincoln and Lana were dragons and she liked them, that did not mean she trusted the dragons who lived with the princess. Even so, she accepted the request, and handed over her sword.

As she entered the house, the knight was amazed to see that the house was extremely messy. Despite the intact furniture, there were marks of burn on the walls and marks of horseshoes on the floor. It was hard to imagine how a royal family could live there.

Even so, the most impressive thing was that the house was still inside the mountain. This house was possibly a secret castle, though terribly disorganized.

They were led into a room where a girl a little older than the bard was lying on a couch reading a romance book with the image of a prince and a princess kissing on the cover. The girl was wearing a nice pale green dress, and had a face of total tranquility.

"Princess Leni, these two want to talk to your mother. Do you allow them to go on?"

The girl seemed a little puzzled by the question, as if she were confused.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she realized what she should do.

"Oh, of course. Why not? You can talk to her as soon as she get back."

"Excuse me, princess, but what do you mean, "as soon as she get back"?" The knight had a bad feeling about it.

"My mother went to visit my older sister and her husband in a house on the other side of the mountain range. She should not be back until next week."

The knight was desolate. All this journey, and now this deception?

"But what do you want to talk to Mom, anyway?" The princess sat down, focusing her interest in the knight.

"I was sent by King Albert to retrieve the Alchemist's Staff, for him to elect a successor. Can not you give me an answer?"

"Sorry, but I can not." The princess looked sad now. "The staff is the property of the heir to the throne, and my mother passed it to my brother. You would have to talk to him."

The situation seemed even worse. Even if Lincoln had said that the prince had no desire to reign, she would be asking for something that was his by birthright. Even so, she knew she should at least try.

"And could I speak to your brother?"

"Well, I do not see why not. Luna, can you call the others to go to the library?"

The bard bowed and left the room.

"Wait, what do you mean by "the others"?" The knight was confused.

"You do not expect the prince to be alone with us, do you?" Lana assumed a reprimand tone and shook her head. "Everybody in the house will be in the room as a retinue to accompany your audience with the prince."

Lady Ronnie swallowed hard. She was in love with Lincoln, and she liked Lana, but staying in a room full of dragons seemed like a bad idea to someone who was still trying to overcome her prejudices.

They followed the princess into a neat, book-filled room that occupied two floors of the house. There was a staircase leading up to the top of the library, and it was possible to see a man on his back looking for a book. Although it was not possible to see him properly, she realized that he was wearing a vivid orange cape.

Seated in chairs, there were four girls.

One of them looked quite like the bard, but her hair was tied in a short ponytail and wore a male-looking golden armor and had a smug face.

The girl to her left also had a ponytail, only longer. She was dressed like a court jester, and had a scepter with a dragon head made up as a clown.

Beside her was a girl who vaguely remembered Lana, wearing a very refined pink dress, and her face full of makeup. She admired herself in a hand mirror while adjusting a crown encrusted with jewels.

The fourth girl was dressed like a savage, dressed all in black. She wore a short skirt and only a few bands of black cloth wrapped around her chest. She could not help but think the girl was rather familiar.

In fact, they were all a bit alike.

"My prince, this Silent Knight wishes to speak to you." Luna said, bowing.

"Really?" The prince said without turning. His voice was grave and rough, almost as if he were speaking like that on purpose. "And what do you want, my dear knight?"

"Sir, I come in the name of King Albert. He sent me to look for the Alchemist's Staff."

"And why would my grandfather want the staff?"

"He... well, he's looking for a successor to the throne."

The knight was waiting for a fit of rage, or even for the prince to transform and incinerate her for being insolent. But he just kept quiet, thoughtful, his face hidden in the shadows.

"Tell me, what would you be willing to do to deliver the staff to my grandfather?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll make a deal. I'll give you the staff if you marry me. What do you say?"

She was speechless.

All the girls, including Lana, were surprised by the prince's request.

She recovered from the shock and began to think about what the prince had proposed. He could be the rightful heir of the two halves of the kingdom, yet he was just another man in her life. She remembered Lincoln. How he caressed her, the way their lips meet and the wild night they had. Even with the promise of marrying a king, she could not let go of what she felt for Lincoln.

"Sorry, sir, but I can not accept it."

While the prince seemed unchanged, the girls present were even more shocked by the refusal than by the request. How could she refuse a proposal from a prince so quickly?

"And why can not you accept it?" He asked with a fake interest, as if he did not care for the answer.

She was embarrassed. Even though she had been in the king's presence many times, he had never asked such personal questions.

"She's in a relationship with my brother." Lana spilled the beans.

"Oh, really? And you'd rather be with him than marry a prince like me?"

Lady Ronnie was trapped. She never imagined that the king's mission would result in all these events she had gone through in the last three days, but now she was in the presence of royalty, having to expose her feelings to a bunch of strangers.

"Yeah, I'd rather." At last she created courage, casting aside the prince's social status. "I'm sorry, but I do not know you, and on those days I met the only man who made me feel alive, as I had not felt in many years. Even though you are a prince, I can not leave what I feel for him aside."

The prince then started down the stairs, and she can notice his robes.

In addition to the orange cape, she could see his fine blue robes and glossy shoulder pads.

What surprised her most was to see the prince's face.

"So you do not really want to marry me?" Lincoln asked, smiling happily.

She stood still, processing what was happening. Meanwhile, the girls were giggling, even Lana.

After stopping to think, she did the only thing she could think of to do.

She slowly approached Lincoln, who was waiting for her with open arms, with a broad smile.

All the girls watched anxiously, as she approached her prince.

Slap!

All the girls were shocked.

They simply could not believe the scene unfolding before them.

The knight approached Lincoln to slap him with all her might on the left side of his face. Before any of them could say anything, Lincoln began to laugh.

"Haha. Right. I deserved this." Despite the pain, he seemed to be fine.

"What the fuck is that, Lame-o?" After everything that happened, she was terribly furious. "What's going on here?"

"Okay, I'll explain. Can you please sit down?"

She was very angry, but calmed down enough to sit in one of the library chairs.

Lincoln sat across from her, and began to explain.

"Okay, this is my house and these are my sisters." He pointed at the girls.

"Luna Loud, bard!" Said the bard.

"Lynn Loud, captain of the royal guard!" Said the girl in armor.

"Luan Loud, the jester!" Said the buffoon girl.

"Lola Loud, princess par excellence!" Said the little princess.

"Leni Loud, we met earlier!" The princess reappeared.

"Lucy loud, I wander in the night." The girl in black said monotonously.

"And you already know me." Lana said.

"Wait, I did not get it. I thought you were going to take me to the house where the royal family lives, not your family."

As soon as she said it, the girls began to laugh.

"Well, I really brought you to the royal family. I just did not tell you it was MY family."

"Wait, so you're really..."

"Yup!"

"And they are..."

"Yup!"

"Even Lana?"

"Yup! I know it does not look like it, but yes, we are all royalty in this house."

She was shocked. Not just shocked, horrified. She already felt bad for attacking Lincoln, but knowing that he was the heir to the throne was a huge shock. Being a Quiet Knight, this could be considered an act of treason against the kingdom. Still something seemed to be missing.

"I can't understand. If you are the prince, then why go to the city dressed as a hermit?"

"Well, that's complicated." The prince was a little sad now. "Years ago, when our sister Lori was born, our mother decided to visit our grandfather to tell the good news, but he was angry and said that he wanted nothing with our parents or with us. Years later, he knew how many we were and did not want to accept us as part of his family, considering us errors of nature. It was then that he sent Sir Daniel and a group of Silent Knights to invade the castle and kill us in the middle of the night. It was terrible, and we were very young at the time, but our father was seriously injured. What was said in the kingdom was that Sir Daniel decided to do this on his own, and so our grandfather was not known for his cruelty. This made us furious, and our mother, blinded by the pain, eventually decided that the whole kingdom must feel the same as her family, which resulted in the "Fury." After that, our sister Lori banned people from entering our territory, creating the situation we are in now."

She was quiet, thinking about what he said. She had been somewhat suspicious of the king since receiving this mission, but it was difficult to see King Albert as a heartless monster. Still, Lincoln had won her trust, and he did not seem to be lying. The worst part was that it made perfect sense with her current mission. King Albert had heirs in abundance, but he preferred anyone to one of his own grandchildren, because of who they were.

She could not help but stare at Lincoln's sisters. Each different, but still, they were as human as the knight herself. She watched them all, until she remembered something.

"Wait, where's Rocky? You said you were after him, but your sister is here." She said, pointing at Lucy.

"Oh, that." Lincoln was beginning to blush. "Well, when I was up the mountain, I found Lucy and she told me that she told the others what we did last night and they planned this little show to see if you really liked me or if you were just using me."

The knight blushed. So not only did Lincoln's sisters plan this clownery, but they knew what they had done the night before.

"Rocky's in the playing room with my younger sisters. They're still a bit scared of what happened the other day, and they're also a little scared of you." He blushed a little at the last part.

"Yeah, I think it's understandable that they do not want me around." She giggled, though she was embarrassed.

They stared at each other, their faces flushed. Realizing that they needed some time alone, Lincoln's sisters left quietly, leaving the couple in the library.

After being alone, they felt comfortable to talking.

"So... you're my prince, is not it?" She said, still processing.

"Haha. I know. The girls already go after me, imagine if they knew I'm royalty."

"You do not seem to like it very much."

"It's like I told you, I really do not want to spend the rest of my life trapped inside a castle, deciding what happens in the kingdom."

"Is this how things work around here?"

"No, in Dragon Domain, the king can go anywhere on the edge of the realm, and if I unify the two parts of the kingdom, then I'd be in the whole Silent Valley, but still stuck in my kingdom."

"And who said it had to be like this?"

"What do you mean?" A little hope passed over the boy.

"Well, we never had just one king, so by unifying the kingdom, you would create a whole new order for the kingdom. Of course, this would take some time to organize, but as long as you have someone reliable to lead in your absence, nothing would stop you from traveling to other kingdons from time to time. What do you think?"

Lincoln's world has fallen. His eyes widened, his mouth wide. He could not believe he'd never thought of it. A new door of opportunity opened up for him.

Lady Ronnie was surprised by his reaction.

"Wait, you never looked for an alternative for when for when you claim the throne?"

"Well, I do not know if you noticed, but my sisters do not have much interest in the intellectual domain of governing. Even Lynn, who is probably as brave as you, only focuses on the part of fighting and punishing, not the laws that are valid in the kingdom. My mother taught me the laws of Silent Valley, and my father taught me the traditions of Dragon Domain. That was always what I knew, and I learned not to question the laws of both cultures."

"Then if we had not met, would you simply unite the kingdom without changing any of the laws that would bind you to the kingdom forever?"

"Speaking like that, it sounds really stupid. But also, I never thought I'd meet someone like you."

She looked at him affectionately, and took his hand.

"I never thought I'd meet anyone like you, either. I mean, if I had gone into another kingdom and tried to kill the heir to the throne, I'm sure it would not be forgiven."

"Speaking of which, what shall we do now?"

"As well?" The knight was confused.

"What I've said just now, though it's part of my sisters' test, is true." He knelt before her and looked her in the eye. "Lady Ronnie Anne Santiago, I feel that I can never be far from you again. Making sure that I have created a link with you, I ask you: do you want to marry me?"

Again, she did not know what to say.

Yes, she felt that Lincoln loved her, and she was sure she would never find anyone who was as gentle and understanding as he is. Still, she was only twenty-one, and at the height of her knighthood.

"Lincoln, I admit we have something unique that I've never felt before, but I do not know if that "link" justifies going so fast."

"What do you mean?" He was scared now, as if his life depended on the answer.

"I think we can have something serious, in fact, I do not think I've even thought about it, but we really can. I just do not think I'm ready to get married now."

"So... would you... accept an engagement?" He was unsure, but still he had to try.

"(Sigh) Yes, Lincoln, I'll accept an engagement with you."

He got up and kissed her, showing his joy. She returned the kiss, and slowly hugged him and made the kiss even more passionate.

After a while, she parted to catch her breath.

"Why is this so important to you?" She said, breathing heavily.

"What do you mean?"

"Marriage. Why are you in such a hurry to get married?"

"Well, it's the dragons' custom. As soon as we get past the link, we get married. But if you'd rather wait, then I'll wait as long as necessary, as long as I'm with you."

"Wow, are you really going to do anything I want to make me happy?"

"If you're happy, I'm happy."

"Do you know what would make me happy?" She smiled wickedly.

"Oh, I can imagine." He smiled and looked at her as if to devour the girl. "They will not wait until dinnertime. They will not look for us until dinner time. What do you think about meeting a prince's chambers?"

"You do not have to ask me again!"


	9. Prince Regent

**Sorry for the delay, but I had a problem with the computer, and I just got it back today.**

 **I'm going to travel tomorrow to spend Easter Sunday with some relatives, so I should just post another chapter on Monday.  
**

 **For all who celebrate this date, I wish you a happy Easter! (I do not know what that date is like in other countries, but here in Brazil there is a lot of fish and chocolate during the weekend.)**

* * *

Late in the afternoon, everyone gathered in the dining room. Lady Ronnie expected a dignified royal atmosphere, but just like the rest of the house, it was completely messed up.

She and the princesses were all dressed in silk tunics, just like the one Lincoln wore, even Lynn had taken off her armor and Lucy wore a black tunic instead of her savage clothes. All of Lincoln's sisters seemed to stare at the couple with some disdain.

"You're very noisy." Luna said, sounding uncomfortable. "I know you guys made a link, but we're in the middle of the day."

They both turned red. They knew they did not keep quiet, but they still did not expect to be confronted as soon as they went to dinner.

Everyone gathered in front of the large dining table.

Finally, the younger Louds, Lisa and Lily, created the courage to stay in the same room as Lady Ronnie.

Lady Ronnie noticed that Rocky was wearing a tunic too, a black one, as well as looking a bit uncomfortable, while Lucy seemed to flirt with him, both quietly.

During dinner, Lady Ronnie realized that Lana was not the only one who had no manners at the table.

With the exception of Leni, Lincoln, and Lola, all the Loud siblings ate as if they had not eaten for days.

"Have class, girls. We have guests for dinner." Lola said with her snobby air.

"Blah, blah, blah." Answered Lana.

"So what are you two going to do now?" Lynn said, tearing a piece of meat with her teeth.

"Well, we both talk, and we've come to the conclusion that we're going to start with an engagement, and when we're agreed, we'll go through with the wedding." Lincoln answered, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"What?" All the sisters said together.

"What do you mean, an indefinite engagement?" Luna was furious. "That's not how things work in Dragon Domain, man."

"It's one of our oldest traditions." Lynn was almost getting up and going to the couple. "As soon as we get past the link, we get married. Not to mention the fact that you are the prince."

"That's right!" Lola folded her arms very seriously. "Who in their right mind would want to wait to marry a prince?"

"I'm sorry to disagree sisters, but they're not wrong."

At that moment, everyone looked at Lisa.

"What are you talking about?" Luan asked, wondering if she should be angry with Lisa.

"Like Lincoln and Lucy, I'm one of the few people in this family who actually uses the library to learn." She said, looking sternly at Lynn and Lana. "But as I was saying, there is nothing to prevent them from making an engagement before they get married. In fact, this is even beneficial to our kingdom."

"How can this be beneficial to the kingdom?" "Now Lincoln was interested.

"According to Dragon Domain statutes, unlike our sister Lori, who even married can not rule the kingdom without a dragon king on the throne, if you are engaged to someone of noble family, then you may be Prince Regent."

"Wait, what it means to be a Prince Regent?" Leni asked, confused.

"Technically, he can order in Dragon Domain, he just can not create or change any law of the kingdom. Even so, he would have regent status, which is enough to be received with respect in other kingdom. And I doubt that after the "Fury" someone would refuse a peaceful visit from the new regent of Dragon Domain."

"Wait, but for this to work, she'd have to be nobility, too." Lynn said, still against the idea.

"Actually, she is." Lucy said, entering into the conversation. "I read a lot about the nobility of the kingdom, and the Santiago family is one of the noble families of Silent Valley. Not only that, but she is also one of the most exemplary Silent Knights in the kingdom, plus the youngest to pass the Academy graduation exam. I do not see how anyone could be a more worthy fiancee to our brother."

Lady Ronnie was embarrassed by the compliment. Although not on the good side of most of Lincoln's sisters, at least those who accepted her choice seemed to be the most sensible of the family.

"Well, if there's no problem, I think it's best if you let them do what they want." Lynn said, accepting their defeat.

"But we still have another question." Lola was worried. "She must have an answer to our grandfather."

All the sisters took on an air of sadness. It hurt in their hearts to know that their grandfather hated them for being who they were. Lincoln had already gotten over this, but it still bothered to see his sisters sad about it.

"Well, if he wants an answer, he'll have an answer." He said at last, leaving everyone worried. "Ronnie, there's one more surprise I want to make for you, and I asked my sisters not to ruin it. After that, we will go to Lincoln. It's time for my grandfather and I have a talk."

"Lincoln, are you serious?" The knight was worried about his good sense. "Do you expect to simply enter the city and walk to the castle?"

"No, of course not." He said, smiling. "I intend to come flying in the castle!"

Everyone was perplexed by the audacity of Lincoln.

Although they could not know what was going on inside his head, everyone was sure of one thing: it was a bad idea.

"My dear brother, I must suppose you are drawing some stratagem in your mind, but I must remind you that the capital of Silent Valley is not only the largest city in the whole kingdom, but It is also where the headquarters of the Silent Knights and the Academy are. Even if we accompany you, we will hardly reach the castle before beginning a confrontation with the defenses of the kingdom." Lisa tried to call her brother to reason.

"Do not worry, Lisa." He answered, getting up. "I did not even consider taking any of you with me. I want to talk privately with our grandfather. Now, if you'll excuse me, I intend to read a little before going to sleep."

He headed for the door, but then he stopped.

"One more thing, Lisa. When exactly do I get to be a Prince Regent?"

"Well, technically speaking, by the time you announce your engagement to at least five members of the nobility of Dragon Domain or Silent Valley, you are the Prince Regent. So, as you have already notified us of your engagement with Lady Ronnie Anne, you are already our Prince Regent."

This took all the sisters and the guests by surprise. The laws and customs of Dragon Domain are not usually time-consuming, but knowing that their brother already had more authority than any of them within minutes was shocking.

"Really? Thank you Lisa." He left the dining room, but quickly put his head back. "Ronnie, I'll be in the library for a while, but if you want, you can ask the girls to take you to the bathroom before bed."

The dining room was completely silent after that.

Lady Ronnie still did not know her fiance well, but she could tell from his sisters' reaction that it was not normal. Even so, she had to admit that he looked very macho with that attitude.

When they finished dinner, Rocky went to the room the princesses gave him, being discreetly followed by Lucy.

Meanwhile, Lady Ronnie and Lincoln's older sisters went to the back of the house, where the walls and floors were stone. When they reached the end of a corridor, there was a wooden door, and they entered.

The knight was surprised to see the interior of the bathroom. It was a large room with several dressers with towels and several types of bath salts. On the floor was a large hole with three smaller ones near the large one. At the back of the room was a large dragon's head with its mouth open, over gutters that led to the holes.

Looking closely, she realized that there was a lever next to the head, similar to a drawbridge, and a wooden door in the throat of the statue.

"Wow, this is awesome." The knight tried to find words to describe the scene before her. "At first I found your house very messy, but it's really impressive."

"It's not like our house is always like this." Luan tried to hide his embarrassment. "But when our mother is not there we kind of set aside cleaning the house."

That caught Lady Ronnie by surprise. All these girls were older than she was, but they seemed to be as mature as Lana. In fact, Lisa seemed to be the most mature of the sisters, and was the second younger.

"Okay, enough talk, it's bath time." Lynn said, lowering the lever.

As the lever was lowered, hot water began to flow through the mouth of the statue, down the gutters and filling the larger hole.

As soon as the water was in the middle, the sisters began to put some bath salts in the water, and then began undressing, without bothering the guest.

Lady Ronnie was embarrassed by Lincoln's sisters. She did not know how to proceed, until Lynn closed the statue's mouth.

"Hey, are you just gonna stare?" She said, taking off her tunic, and revealing her hourglass figure totally undressed. "No need to bother, you have nothing we have not seen."

The other girls just chuckled as they stepped into the water.

"Do you always take a bath together?" The knight asked as she slowly took off her clothes.

"Ever." Luna said, unconcerned. "Filling our "tub" is relatively tricky then either we fill one of the small holes for an individual bath or we all bath here in the big one."

"And when you say everyone..."

"All of us and sometimes Lincoln too." Luan said, smiling warmly. "No _dirty_ thoughts, ok? Hahaha."

All the sisters just grunted with the joke.

"But seriously, you do not have to worry." Lynn assured her. "We've been doing it since we were babies, and we're used to getting naked in front of each other. It's totally natural for us, though the younger ones feel a bit embarrassed to see Lincoln naked."

Lady Ronnie went into the water, and felt even more relaxed than last night. Just to think that Lincoln and his sisters could take a hot bath like this every night was to envy.

"That's really good." She said in pure ecstasy. "How do you guys get hot water in the house?"

"That's part of the Dragon Domain culture." Luna said as she rubbed herself with a sponge. "Our people have always enjoyed bathing in the hot springs that exist all over the region. Then, about three centuries ago, our great-great-grandfather discovered how to do something he called "plumbing," a system of metal tubes that carry mountain's hot water into houses and caves. So we can take a hot bath whenever we want."

"The more I learn about you, the more I see that the kingdom does not really know you." The knight was now disturbed. "Apart from some information such as your weakness to alchemium and that you can change form, nothing is really known about dragons."

"Well, that's because we're a really peaceful people." Luan said, a little sad. "Except for that time when our mother sent our soldiers to attack the kingdom, we never got into any conflict."

"That's right." Leni said, trying to be optimistic. "People have always been afraid of us, but we're not getting out of Dragon Domain, and when we leave, we act just like anyone else. It's not like we want to start a war or something."

"Speak for you." Lynn was irritated. "I, unlike the others, really want to get into a war. The only problem is that I am considered an enemy of our motherland, even being a princess and warrior." She then looked at Lady Ronnie. "Honestly, I wish I could be like you, and defend the kingdom. Unfortunately, I've never been so smart as Lincoln or even daring as Lana to try to get into the Academy."

"Wait, as smart as Lincoln?" The knight was confused.

"He entered the Academy when he was ten." Luna said, a little uncomfortable with the subject. "He dyed his hair to black with a tincture we extract from a plant, and learned to fight like a knight. When he was fourteen, he thought he had learned enough and decided to stop so as not to risk being discovered."

"If so, why did not he train Lana, instead of letting her go to the Academy?"

"Well, that was something else." Lynn looked a little sad. "Lincoln actually volunteered to train her, and I volunteered to teach the dragons' fighting style, but she was dazzled by our sister Lori's husband and the stories of his adventures."

"I understand. Just learning is not enough. She wants to be a Silent Knight, and go on adventures on her own." The knight allowed herself to smile, seeing how much Lana looked like her.

After a moment of silence, the knight decided to ask something that was bothering her.

"Listen, Lincoln told me something, and I can not stop thinking about it. After all, how did your father died? He told me that he was alive until sometime after the "Fury", but we changed the subject, and I did not remembered to ask."

"What did you talk about?" Leni asked innocently.

Just seeing the embarrassed and flushed face of Lady Ronnie was enough for everyone, even Leni understood what they "talked about."

"If you lovebirds tried to speak more than moan, I think Lincoln might have told you." Luan tried to be funny, without much success.

"Luan, now is not the time for this." Lynn was irritated with her sister, and she buried Luan's head in the water until Leni separated them.

"Behave you two." Leni said in an authoritative voice. "If none of you can behave, then I'll tell her."

Lynn crossed her arms as Luan caught her breath, her eyes that were turning red starting to turn green again. They all looked at Leni, waiting for her to speak.

Or not.

"What was I supposed to say?" She asked, confused.

Everyone frowned as Leni blushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, so I'll tell you." Luna said, recovering from the stress. "To understand how he died, you need to know how our parents met each other. A little more than thirty years ago, our parents met when our grandfather, King Albert, called our father to negotiate a new agreement to produce spicy grapes for export."

"Wait, your father made a deal with King Albert?"

"Yes. At that time, Dragon Domain produced spicy grapes enough to distribute throughout the kingdom." Luan decided to take part in the explanation. "It was with the profits of the spicy grapes and wine that the dragon royal family kept their finances for centuries. However, our grandfather thought he could make a big profit if he made a deal with the king of Dragon Domain."

"Wait, then, was your father the king at the time?"

"No, it was our grandfather, Lynn, his father." Lynn exclaimed, proudly. "I'm the third Lynn Loud in the family, and I intend to be as big as the two who came before me."

Lady Ronnie was surprised by the girl's arrogance. Apparently it was not just Lana that looked like her.

"Ahem. Well, as I was saying, our father was sent by his father to make the agreement." Luna continued. "Our grandfather, Lynn, was too old to leave the castle, so he trusted that his son would be able to handle this arrangement. In the beginning, everything went well, until an unforeseen happened. Our father had a link with our mother, and then everything went wrong."

"How exactly was that a problem? I mean, Lincoln and I started kind of... disastrously, but we ended getting well."

"It's not like there's a problem between them." Leni was sad to think about the events. "Our parents knew they loved each other as soon as they saw each other. The problem is that our grandfather just wanted to negotiate with our father, and did not approve the union of them."

"We do not know why, but he seems to hate us all." Luan was about to cry.

It did not take much effort to figure out why the girls were so sad. They were the king's grandchildren, but he did not even want to know them. That made Lady Ronnie wonder if anyone really knew the king.

"Our mother could not let our father go back to Dragon Domain, but she knew they could not live in peace while her father was willing to do everything to separate them." Luna was struggling to tell the story, even if it was a difficult matter for the sisters. "So she did what she felt was right, and gave our grandfather an ultimatum. If he did not let her marry our father, she would leave with him for Dragon Domain."

"So your grandfather preferred to see his daughter leave to allow her to marry a dragon?"

"Exactly. Our mother was welcomed here, and as soon as she arrived, they were married." Luna stood up and held out her arms. "Our father built this house with the help of some of the soldiers. It took three years, but when he finally finished the house, they were able to settle in the new house, and shortly after, our sister Lori was born."

Lincoln told her about it. Was he able to reject his own daughter after years without seeing her?

"That's not the worst part." Lynn decided to continue. "As you know, Sir Daniel was sent here fifteen years ago. He came as an emissary from our grandfather, to talk about our return to the kingdom. But, during the night, when we thought he and the others had returned to the capital, they sneaked into the castle, and killed some of the guards. What saved us that night was the twins."

"Twins?" The knight did not understand what Lynn was saying.

"Lana and Lola." Luna said, a little puzzled.

"They are twins? I confess that I found them slightly similar, but they are so different from one another."

"Well, they're very extreme in their personalities." Lynn smiled slightly at the thought of her sisters. "Lana never wore make-up in her life, unlike Lola, who spends in a month what we all wear in a year."

Lady Ronnie paused to think, and saw that it made sense. Lola looked like a porcelain doll in all that makeup, while Lana did not seem to mind her appearance.

"But I don't understand. How did the twins saved you that night?"

"I'll tell you that part!" Luan was excited. "When we are small, our crying is extremely acute. That's not to say _loud_. Hahahahaha." She stopped to look at the others, but no one was amused. "Anyway, as soon as they got into our parents' room, our mother was making the twins go back to sleep. We dragons are very sensitive to noises when small, and as soon as they opened the door, they began to cry, waking our father. As soon as he awoke, he transformed and roared, waking everyone in the castle, and a violent battle began, while our mother led us to the castle's secret exit."

"Wait, did you say your father has transformed inside the castle?"

"Yes." Leni was excited to talk about the castle. "You had to see the castle. It was immense, and there was room for an adult dragon to walk freely inside. Before, we only stayed here when we were little, but as soon as Dad became king, we went to live in the castle, and this place became our second home. After that awful night, we returned to live here while they repaired the castle, and we ended up staying here even after the castle was ready."

"And why did not you go back to the castle?"

"It's the law." Luna took a stern tone. "Until the new king is crowned, the castle becomes a private area for the royal family, and is not used for anything other than paying homage to the deceased king. Until Lincoln becomes king, the castle is forbidden to anyone but one of us."

"But I still have not understood one thing." Lady Ronnie was still confuse. "If your father was alive when you left the castle, how did he died?"

"Well, your sword is part of the answer." Lynn said, a little harshly. "She's bathed in alchemium, right?"

"Actually, it's pure alchemium." The knight was a bit embarrassed. "I went to another kingdom to escort a caravan and received a large ore for payment, and I asked Jack, the blacksmith of the capital to do this for me. I do have another one, but it's a family antiquity, so I wanted to have mine."

"I must admit, it's impressive, though offensive." Lynn said, trying to tease the knight. "Although, with what they tell about us in the kingdom, you would be a fool to enter the lair of the beast without protection."

"But what does alchemium have to do with it?"

"As you know, this metal keeps us from turning, but it has a worse effect." Lynn now had a dark look. "We, from the royal family, can heal from injuries that would be fatal to humans and even other dragons. Sir Daniel and the other knights came with weapons bathed in alchemium but were not well forged. As a consequence, the spear that Sir Daniel impaled on our father's chest let loose several crumbs of alchemium in his heart. For the next six years, we saw him languish and get sicker and sicker, until he could not stand it any longer."

Lady Ronnie was shocked by the sad fate of Lincoln's father. It sounded like a tragedy told in books about two lovers whose families did not approve their love.

"That sounds terrible." She was trying to hold back tears as she felt remorse for all the times she cursed the Dragon King. "How was it for your younger sisters?"

"It was harder for Lucy, the twins and Lisa. Lily was too small to remember, but Lisa had always been somewhat advanced for her age." Luna tried to smile, but it did not work. "Today we try to remember the good times with our father, but it is difficult to forget the suffering we have gone through."

The girls spent some more time in the bathroom, telling some stories of when Lincoln was small, until the water began to cool.

They got out of the water and used the towels, then put on their tunics. Leni offered to take her future sister-in-law to the bedchamber.

Lady Ronnie could not help but feel guilty for being treated so well by the Loud family. Her original intention was to kill as many dragons as she could before her end, but now there she was, a guest of the royal family who even became engaged to the prince.

When she entered the room, she could not help but feel astonished. It was almost as well-decorated as his own room. If that was how the Loud got their guests, she could only imagine what the princess' rooms were like.

She said goodbye to Leni and threw herself on the bed, softer than any she had ever lain down. She wondered why Lincoln's bed was not so comfortable, but then she remembered that she was not paying attention to the room, but to his owner.

As she thought about Lincoln, she remembered that he said he had a surprise for her. After the night before, he had turned her world upside down, not only in the carnal sense. He also received her in his family, which seemed to be fastly receiving her, as if she was already part of the family.

" _What else could he think would make me happy?"_

With that thought, she fell asleep, one of the quietest nights she has ever had.


	10. A Day With The Loud Sisters

**Just a little warning.**

 **I took the Easter, but I realized that the end of this story was somewhat weak, so I decided to rewrite.**

 **Like Earth Loudest Heroes, it's going to be weekly, at least until I finish rewriting.**

* * *

The sun lit the house, and Lady Ronnie began to wake up. Slowly, she surveyed her surroundings, and remembered where she was. She was still a little sleepy, but realized that Lincoln was sleeping in a chair next to her bed.

She looked at him with a smile as she wondered when he'd entered the room.

Seeing her lover rest so serenely made her heart glad. Although it was tempting to wake him, she decided to leave without doing it, and began to walk around the house.

As she reached the end of the hall, she came upon Lynn, again clad in her armor.

"Good morning, Princess Lynn."

"Why this formality?" Lynn gave her a puzzled look. "Except for Lola, none of us care about being called "princess", so you do not have to worry about that."

"Oh, sorry, it's the force of habit." Lady Ronnie blushed, but noticed the vesture of her hostess. "Why are you wearing this armor so early?"

"Well, I like to always be ready. Although we do not have a proper royal guard, I take seriously my duties as captain of the guard. I was going to wake Lana to train with me. Believe it or not, it's hard for anyone to train with me."

"Well, since I'm awake, I can train with you."

"Oh, really? Are you sure about that?"

"Of course. How hard could it be?"

One hour.

That's all it took for Lady Ronnie to regret accepting to train with Lynn.

The two were struggling with wooden swords in front of the house, both wearing golden armors. Although she did not feel comfortable in Lynn's spare armor, Lady Ronnie had to admit that the dragons knew how to make armors. Although they did not have a model more suitable for a woman, it was lighter than the armor she received when she became a Silent Knight.

Seated on the steps of the entrance, all the Loud sisters and Rocky attended the training.

While the other sisters paid attention to their training, Lucy laid her head on Rocky's shoulder, making him blush.

Each sister had an opinion about their performance, but both agreed that Lady Ronnie was the most impressive, since, aside from Lincoln and Lana, no one could last so long fighting Lynn.

"I have to admit, you really are a tough girl." Lynn said, not even showing any weariness. "No wonder you're the youngest Silent Knight to graduate from the Academy."

Lady Ronnie, on the other hand, was already having trouble standing up.

Even if Lynn did not demonstrate, she was very strong. When she remembered how Lincoln had carried the horses the day before, she wondered how strong Lynn would be if she assumed her dragon form.

"Hey Ronnie, you look tired. Do not you want to stop? I'm not even fighting seriously."

Just looking at Lynn's arrogant face made Lady Ronnie's blood boil. So angry, she did not even think of an answer before opening her mouth.

"Do you think that's enough to make me tired? I already fought with squires who were better than you. Show me your best!"

Lynn smirked, while all her sisters were shocked by Ronnie's mistake.

Her green eyes began to turn red, and her skin even redder. Soon, she was transforming in a dragon, while Lady Ronnie regretted having teased the dragon princess.

In a few seconds, a red dragon a little smaller than Lincoln was standing before her.

Lady Ronnie understood why the royal guard of Dragon Domain wore these golden armor. Unlike Lincoln's tunic, that tore when he transformed, the armor grew along with Lynn, coating her chest, limbs and neck.

"Is it hard enough for you now?" Lynn said in her now grave voice, with an evil smile.

Lady Ronnie froze, unable to even shake with fear.

Even when Lincoln had changed in front of her, something about him seemed to keep her from being frightened. Maybe it was the effects of the link forming, or the adrenaline she was feeling right there, but now it was different.

Last week she might think she could fight dragons, but with dragon Lynn standing in front of her, she realized the reality was very different.

Lynn spread her wings and was about to reach Lady Ronnie, when a blue dragon, a little taller than a horse stood in defensive position in front of the knight.

Lynn tried to stop, but was first pushed into the lake by a purple dragon as big as her or even Lincoln.

"Lady Ronnie, are you all right?" The blue dragon looked at her with concern.

It was not long before she realized that the blue dragon was Lana, and she felt calmer.

"I'am fine Lana, it was just a fright. I think it will take some time for me to get used to this."

Despite the large body, Lana tried to hug her knight, without much success.

As they broke the hug, they saw a naked Luna coming out of the water pulling Lynn by the left ear.

"My little sister has something to tell you." She narrowed her eyes, making Lynn understand what she meant.

"I'm very sorry for this." Lynn said, taking Luna's hand from her ear. "I should have been more mature instead of making a bad joke."

Lady Ronnie allowed herself a smile. Seeing all Lynn's attitude being pulled from her was something really fun. She was about to talk when someone caught everyone's attention.

"May I know what's going on here?"

Everyone gulped, as they caught sight of Lincoln with a furious look on the door.

"It's no big deal." Lady Ronnie regained her composure, and walked to the angry prince. "I volunteered to train with Lynn, and we kind of exaggerated a bit."

He did not like the answer, but ended up accepting it when she smiled.

He noticed Luna and the now human Lana, and sighed.

"Luna, Lana, if you do not mind, could you get dressed? We are not animals."

* * *

.

* * *

After the disastrous training, everyone went into the house to have breakfast.

After some quiet time, Lincoln decided it was time to reveal his plans.

"Guys, I think it's time to share what I'm planning to do."

"Oh, and what does our great and noble leader intend to decree?" Lola said sarcastically, causing a few giggles.

"First of all, I want to make it clear that I will not let my position as prince regent make me a bossy narcissist. I am your brother, and I will never change."

Lola just crossed her arms and stared at Lincoln as if he were lying to himself.

All the others, however, seemed to marvel at the prince's conviction.

"Well, as I said yesterday, I intend to meet our grandfather, King Albert. I believe he avoided us for too much time."

"And you're really going to go to the kingdom alone?" Lynn was beginning to doubt her brother's common sense.

"No, that would be ridiculous. I will go to the kingdom with Lady Ronnie and her squires."

They were all in complete disbelief, their eyes wide open. Lincoln sure was crazy.

"Are you going to take your fiancée and your sister with you for a war?" Luna shouted.

"Can you calm down and hear what I have to talk until the end?"

Everyone was silent. Although it seemed crazy, Lincoln was right to want to explain himself.

"Alright bro. We will hear you". Lana said, saluting.

"Thank you, Lana. As you all know, our grandfather told Ronnie Anne to get the staff so he can name a new successor. I intend to ask, looking into his eyes, why he prefers a distant relative when he would only have to talk with his grandson."

"And what do you intend to do after that?" Lucy was worried, hugging Rocky tight.

"I still do not know, Lucy. What matters is that I have already drawn up a plan after spending the night in the library. I have reviewed all the statutes of Silent Valley and Dragon Domain monarchy. So the day after tomorrow, I'll take Ronnie, Lana and Rocky to the castle in Lincoln and I'll clear up this situation with our grandfather, whether he likes it or not."

"Wait, you intend to leave so soon?" Lisa was shocked. "As much as youre our regent, I do not think you should act in such a hurry."

"As you know, I want to surprise Ronnie on Lori's birthday tomorrow, and so I'll solve this." He looked at Rocky and Lana. "You two must be ready, for the next morning we will return, and then we will go to Lincoln and straight to the castle."

"You look so anxious about this trip. Do you want to do anything else?" Luna was intrigued.

"I shall go to our castle today, and I must not return until before nightfall."

The sisters were surprised by Lincoln's decision, since he had not visited the castle for years.

"What is so important to the point of making you go to the castle?" Lynn was suspicious.

"You, of all people, should know." Lincoln looked at her as if daring her to discover what he wanted. "But anyway, I do not think I can walk there alone, so I wanted you to go with me, Lisa."

The young girl was both puzzled and proud to be called to help her brother with his plans.

"Sure, why not? I've had nothing planned for today."

"Excellent. Meet me at the entrance in an hour, I need to pick up some things." He stood up and bowed. "I hope everyone has a great day. See you later."

Everyone just watched intently as Lincoln left.

Each one had doubts as to what he intended to do, but they left that aside.

After all, he seemed to know what he was doing.

* * *

.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Lady Ronnie trained with Rocky, Lana and Lynn, who ended up acting more friendly than in the morning.

Lady Ronnie noticed that Lucy seemed to follow Rocky wherever he went, and decided to call the sinister girl for a chat.

Lucy accepted, and they both went into a small room that was decorated with furniture apparently made of bones.

"It's in this room that I like to read." The girl said with a slightly disturbing smile. "I carved the pieces myself, and Leni helped me make the cushions."

The knight did not know what to say. Lucy clearly had a peculiar taste for reading and decorating, but she seemed to be a gentle girl beneath that dark exterior. They sat down and stood face-to-face.

"It's really impressive. But I think I need to get right to the point."

"You want to know about Rocky and me, do not you?"

"H-how..."

"It's not hard to imagine. He's your squire, and I'm practically throwing myself at him. You are clearly concerned about his well-being."

"Well, it's not that I do not trust you two alone in the huge house where you live, but it's just that your brother and I end up breaking certain limits very fast, and I wanted to make sure you guys are not going too fast."

"Do not worry about it." Lucy now smiled mischievously. "Do not forget I saw you two at the hot spring. Unfortunately, Rocky is much quieter than I'm, as well as being a bit shy. Do you believe he passed out when I removed my clothes last night?"

In fact, it was not hard to believe. Lady Ronnie remembered how Rocky reacted when Lana took off her clothes for a swim, and the way he was embarrassed. As Lucy wore tight clothing on her bust, it was possible to see that she would surely be able to make poor Rocky bleed through his nose until he died in ecstasy when undressing.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you guys are really involved in some way, and check on whether you are proceeding at a healthy pace."

"Do not you think it's a little hypocritical of you to say that, if you and my brother have acted like rabbits in heat since you stopped fighting?"

The knight blushed, and looked away.

"Sorry, I did not mean to embarrass you." Lucy approached and took the knight's hand. "But understand that it's normal for us to be a little naughty when we get through the link, even if I'm younger than you."

"So you actually had a link with Rocky? And how did he react?"

"Well, I admit it was rather disappointing." The girl was blushing, but she looked sad. "I saw him for the first time when you were taking turns watching over my brother, and I felt like I was floating. Lincoln had asked me to warn any dragon that was near your route to get out of the way, and then I went back home."

"And then you told your sisters about me."

"They were furious, and wanted to go after you immediately." She giggled. "I appealed to their common sense, and we decided that Lynn, Lola, and I would watch over you the next night. That's when I saw you two were "knowing better" and I suggested our little act."

"Wait, so you really kidnapped Rocky?"

"Well, while Lola came home, I convinced Lynn that my idea was great, and that we just needed a bait to get you home soon. After that, I took advantage of the two of you at the hot spring and left a note for Lana, explaining my plan, and took Rocky home while he was asleep."

"And left the doll to let us know it was you."

"Exactly. While my sisters went to bed to prepare for the next day, I took Rocky to a guest room, and spent the night with him."

"You do not waste time, do you?" Lady Ronnie gave her a smug smile, folding her arms.

"Not in that sense, Ronnie. I just lay on it, feeling his breath against my chest. I may be in heat, but I'm not a pervert to make love to someone sleeping."

The knight did not know if this was reassuring or disturbing. Lucy seemed to be a bit unstable, and she did not know if this was normal for the girl.

"But then... you two..."

"Sigh... no, not yet." Lucy became very depressed. "Since he woke up yesterday morning, I've done everything to show my desire, but he's so shy he can not look me in the eye, and all I got was some wild making out last night, and he let me hug him without being bothered."

"Gee, it really seems stressful." Lady Ronnie paused a little and remembered something Lincoln said. "So, if he accept you, will you want him to marry you immediately?"

The girl paused for a moment to think, staring at the ceiling.

"Actually, I think I'd prefer an engagement like you and my brother."

"Oh really? Will not you want to follow the tradition?"

"I think it might be more enjoyable to have a secret romance with a brave knight."

"What do you mean by that?" Lady Ronnie began to be disturbed by the look of Lucy, who was full of lust.

"I would always be hiding, traveling with him, unnoticed. And then, in the most risky moments, we would have moments filled with carnal emotion as we feel each other's touch, clutching us wildly as we felt the lustful excitement of the fear of being discovered."

Lady Ronnie's eyes were wide, utterly speechless.

It was hard to say what was more disturbing, whether it was Lucy's perverted sexual fantasy or that she hoped that a guy who could not keep conscious when she's naked was part of it.

One thing was clear. She had to get out of there.

Immediately.

"Well, I think it might be a little while, but I wish you luck with your... lover." She got up and went to the door. "I think I'll wait for your brother in the main hall, have a good day."

As soon as the knight left, the girl just sighed.

" _First Lynn, then Luan, and now Lady Ronnie._ _Why can not any of them see that my love is pure and sincere, despite being lewd?"_


	11. Private Talk

It was already night, and Lady Ronnie was alone in the hall, waiting for Lincoln and Lisa to return.

It had been some time since they had all dined, and each went to take care of their own things before bed.

She might even look for company, but she chose to be alone for a while.

Although she liked Lana and was starting to get along with Lynn, she thought it best not to try to talk to another of the princesses after talking to Lucy.

Not that she had anything against any of them, but after hearing the way Lucy hopes to lead a relationship, she was really disturbed. She could now understand what Lincoln meant when he said that Lucy was "a little sinister."

It was a strange concept to her all this "link" question. As much as she felt that she could no longer live without Lincoln, she was still confused by how it affected the dragons.

After spending some time alone, she began to wonder if she had rushed into an engagement with Lincoln.

She really felt that this "link" thing was real, and Lincoln was certainly someone she could relate to on a level she never got with anyone.

What bothered her was that Lincoln agreed to wait until she felt ready.

To her, this seemed to be very selfish, since he not only forgave her but was also treating the knight as a queen in his house. It was as if this "link" had made him a slave to Ronnie Anne, and she began to doubt whether he was actually acting on his own, or if in some way, everything he was doing was part of a compulsion to make her happy.

Not only that, but also the fact that if they got married, Lincoln could be the king of the whole kingdom, which would make her queen.

She could not imagine herself as a queen.

Even though she was from a noble family, she did not care about the things other girls did, always being a tomboy. Dressing in fancy clothes and sitting on a throne was not part of her goals for the future.

Even so, if she could spend the rest of her life with Lincoln, that would make up for it. She could imagine the moments they would have together, looking at each other, their passionate kisses, and every night they will not sleep to satisfy their lust.

She was taken from her thoughts as the door opened.

Lincoln and Lisa entered the house, their faces radiant.

Lisa was carrying some books, obviously from the library of the castle, while Lincoln carried a large chest, which he carried over his right shoulder.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" She joked as she walked toward her prince. "I know you're strong, but you do not have to exaggerate."

He just smiled, and dropped the chest to the floor, making a loud noise.

"Sorry, it seemed like the most comfortable way to carry this."

"And what would that be?"

Lincoln just smiled, and opened the chest, revealing a gleaming golden armor, as gleaming as Lynn's, and with flames in the abdomen.

"This is my prince armor." He said, with a bit of pride. "My father told me that one day I would be big enough to wear it, but after he died, I did not feel willing to wear it."

"And why did you go get it then?"

"Well, I believe my grandfather will not take me seriously dressed as an ordinary man, while a royal armor imposes some respect."

The knight was impressed by Lincoln's determination. He was surely planning every step he would take before going to his grandfather.

"But let's leave it for later." He said, smiling. "Lisa, could you ask Lana to take the chest to my room? I want to talk to Ronnie Anne."

"Why do you want me to call Lana?" The princess looked offended. "I'm only two years younger than the twins. I believe I can carry this chest, even without transforming myself."

"Lisa, I do not mean to offend you, but it's not a question of strength, but of size. It will certainly be easier for Lana to carry this than for you."

The princess was sulking,, and left the room with the books, with an attitude that could be mistaken for Lola's.

Lady Ronnie was surprised at the direction of this conversation.

"Wait, is she two years younger than Lana? She is about the same height as Lily."

"Well, Lisa is a special case." Lincoln seemed a little embarrassed. "She's always been short since she was little. In fact, Lily, who is three years younger, has the same height as her, who is already fourteen."

"That sounds complicated. But what's happen when she transforms?"

"Do you remember when Lana transformed earlier? Lana is still in puberty, so that size is relatively big. Lisa, when transforms, gets only one feet taller, while Lily gets a little shorter than you."

"It does not look like much." She began to wonder what the size of the other sisters would be. "Although I must admit that you are the only dragons I know, so I do not think I have the right to judge."

"Size is not really important here, but skill."

"What you mean?" The knight was intrigued by the statement.

"We dragons have the ability to channel the force of nature into our bodies, giving us access to various types of magic. In my case, I can not only fly and breath fire, but I also possess strength, speed, and endurance superior to any dragon, including my sisters."

"Wow, that's really impressive." She was shocked to know that her lover had special abilities. "Besides being a prince, do you still get all these things?"

"Not really." Lincoln started to speak arrogantly. "I can also see in the dark, hold my breath for over an hour, I am practically immune to the cold, and as you had seen, I can heal instantly when I get hurt."

Lady Ronnie was speechless. Not only was Lincoln very convinced, but he also possessed several impressive abilities.

"And does any of your sisters do that?"

"Well, Lynn is almost as strong as me, Lana is a great sniffer, Lola blows freezing fire, Luan manages to change her scales color like a chameleon and Lucy can make people sleep."

"What about your other sisters?"

"They even have their human talents, but in general they are normal dragons. Not all of us have special skills."

She began to think about how the "common" sisters felt, but she remembered that there were more important issues at the moment.

"You sent Lisa up because you wanted to talk to me. What did you want?"

"Well, I'd rather talk about it in a more comfortable place."

"What would it be?"

* * *

.

* * *

They went to the bathroom, and Lincoln locked the door.

He had separated a clean towel and a robe for each, and placed it on one of the shelves.

He shifted the direction of the gutter to one of the smaller holes, and began to fill with hot water.

"What do you think about our bathroom?" He was a bit arrogant, clearly showing off.

"I have to admit, it's incredible. But what's so important for you to want to talk to me here?"

Lincoln just smiled as he took off his clothes and stepped into the water. He then gestured for her to approach.

Sighing, she undressed too and went into the water.

Wanting to tease him, she sat on his lap.

"So, are you going to tell me soon or not?"

The prince was silent for a while, with a sad countenance.

"Ronnie, be honest with me." He took her from his lap, facing her, and looking into her eyes. "What is your opinion of my grandfather?"

She was confused. She understood that the Loud siblings had problems with their grandfather, but she did not understand why he did not like their grandchildren. Even if she did not know them well, she could see that they were a loving, united family.

"He is my king, and as a Silent Knight I have an obligation to serve him. Even so, I admit that I always felt something strange when I was near him, like a bad omen or something. I know everyone in the kingdom seems to love him, but I know some nobles do not like him very much." She stopped and looked at him seriously. "But why do you want to know?"

"I know that after yesterday I seem to be very brave, but the truth is that I am very nervous". He then hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder. "I never met my grandfather, I just watched him from a distance, and I heard what my mother told us about him. I know what I want to do is important, but I think I lack the courage to do so."

"You do not need to worry." She hugged him even harder, and put a hand on his head, patting him. "Do not forget I'll be with you. I do not think that King Albert will like to know that not only did I not recover the staff, but I also became engaged to his grandson." She made a playful tone. "I think the old man might die of a heart attack when we tell him."

"You want to tell him?" Lincoln stepped out of their embrace and looked at her with concern. "But what if he removes your knighthood?"

She had not thought of that.

They would pretend they just met the prince, and leave Lana and Rocky in the Academy.

Lincoln had never said he would mention their engagement.

The knight was worried again about the possibility that Lincoln had become a puppet. How could he, who insisted so much on an engagement, hide it to protect her?

One thing she was sure of: if Lincoln was willing to risk everything for her, it was more than fair for her to do the same.

"I do not care about it. Anyway, I'm the last Santiago, and even if he takes the title from me, it could not tarnish the honor of all the other knights who came before me. Besides, I'm sure that if I can not be a Silent Knight, your sister Lynn would take me into your royal guard, since she is short of many guards at the moment."

Lincoln could not resist, and he kissed her. She sure was the right girl for him.

"But what about now?" She took a more sensual stance. "How about we use your bathtub to do the same we've done at the hot spring?"

"Ronnie, could you leave it for later? I've done a lot of things today, and I really need a bath and a good night's sleep."

She then realized a chance to test her theory.

"But Lincoln, that would be so important to me. You can not imagine how much I waited for you to come back so we could be alone. You know how much I enjoy being with you."

She had puppy eyes and a sad expression, but she was aware of Lincoln's body, watching closely his reaction.

The prince seemed to be torn between doing what she wanted and resting, but seemed to find a solution.

"Look, how about if we do like this: I'm really exhausted, so we're going to get out of the bathroom and then we're going to my room. You sleep with me in my bed and tomorrow we will see your surprise. If my surprise does not make you happy, I'll do whatever you want for the rest of the day. What do you think?"

Lady Ronnie smiled.

Not by agreement, but for now have proof that Lincoln was not a puppet, and could think for himself even if she demanded something.

"Done. Now, let me wash your back."

"Are you sure about that?"

"You've made me feel like I've been in paradise ever since we started this "link" think. What kind of fiancee would I be if I did not treat you as well as you treat me?"

He just smiled and let her clean his back.

After finishing the bath, they put on the robes and went to Lincoln's room.

Lady Ronnie felt comfortable in that room.

It was larger than the guest room where she had slept, and the bed was so large that perhaps all of Lincoln's sisters would fit.

Lincoln noticed that the chest with his armor was in the corner of the room and some books were on top of it.

Looking carefully, he noticed a note in the top book, and began to read it.

"What's written?" The knight asked curiously.

"Dear brother, although it was against your desire, I not only carried the chest to your room but also took the books related to alchemium and enchanted armors to optimize your learning process in the subject. Quoting our sister Lana: "In your Face!". With love, Lisa."

"Wow, she must have been very offended at the time."

"I know, but I did not mean to offend. I just wanted her not to push herself too hard."

"Well, you can thank her tomorrow." She threw herself into the bed, sinking into comfort. "You're tired and I'm anxious to see my surprise."

Lincoln just smiled and threw himself on the bed. He hugged her and kissed her forehead.

"Have good dreams, my knight. Tomorrow will be the best day of your life."


	12. The Surprise Pt1 - Lunch With Lori

At dawn, the entire region around the cottage is lit by the sunshine.

Lady Ronnie wakes up slowly, realizing that her fiancé is not in bed.

Looking around, she sees him sitting on the floor, reading one of the books Lisa had left in the room.

"Morning!" He said, with a sweet smile on his face.

"Morning. Do you always wake up early?"

"It's a habit of mine." He shrugged, a little playful. "Since I was a kid, I'm the first to wake up in this family, which helps me have a quiet time before my sisters wake up."

She shifted and leaned in her arms, looking intently at the books.

"What do you want to know exactly? It was to be expected that you would know all about your armor if you have it since you were a child."

"Actually, I've never been interested in this before." Lincoln blushed with embarrassment. "This has always been Lynn's area of interest, though she does not know how the armor works either."

"And how exactly does it work? As far as I know, magic weapons and magic objects always have a catch."

"Well, this alchemium armor is capable of protecting me from physical damage, and it changes with me when I transform into dragon."

"Wait, these armors are made of alchemium?" She could not believe what she heard. "Is not that your weakness?"

"Usually, alchemium forces us to remain the way we are, but these armors are forged by mixing a powder made with our scales, thus creating a bond between the armor and our dragon magic. This one, for example, was forged especially for me, with scales my father took when I was seven years old."

"So young and you could transform?"

"There is no minimum age for us to use our magic. As far as I know, I was able to transform myself before I started walking, as did most of my sisters, except the twins, who only began to transform around the age of four and Lily, who only transformed for the first time with eight."

Lady Ronnie wondered if Lincoln would ever stop surprising her with things that dragons do. With each passing moment, she learned more about the host family.

"How did your parents manage to raise you? I can not imagine what it's like to have a bunch of kids breathing fire and flying through the house."

"When we lived in the castle, there were servants to help our mother take care of us while our father took care of Dragon Domain. In the early years, there were even some maids in this house, but they were gone, just like the others."

"What do you mean?"

"(Sigh) There are currently less than thirty dragons in Dragon Domain, not counting my family, of course. A few years after the "Fury", most of the dragons agreed to follow my sister Lori's suggestion, and go to other kingdoms where there were no human-dragon conflicts."

"You mean there are practically no dragons in all this territory? This is almost unbelievable."

"I know. We do not need to be seen to be hated, but the truth is people fear us more than they hate us. And it's just that fear that keeps people out of Dragon Domain."

She looked thoughtful. Standing in front of Lynn was terrifying, so it was easy to imagine people getting terrified of a whole kingdom of dragons.

Lincoln, however, had planned all morning, and got up.

"I think we should leave it for later. Today, it's my turn to make breakfast, and I want to make sure everything goes well for us to leave early."

"Well, if that's the case, I can help you."

"Do you know how to cook?" Lincoln was surprised.

"Not really. Remember that I am from a noble family and a knight, so I never had to learn that. Even so, I think I can be of some help."

The prince kissed her and then took her an extra tunic in his wardrobe.

"Use one of those then. Cooking is a task with great probability of mess. Your clothes should be pretty clean for Lori's birthday."

With the wardrobe open, she realized he had five cloaks of different colors, but several orange tunics.

"Do not you have any other tunics? It looks a bit monotonous."

"Each of us wears a color, which matches the color of our scales. Other than that, I only wear that formal suit you saw."

"Well, whatever." She began to put on the tunic. "In the rush you are, I bet you will not even consider a quickie, will you?"

"Sorry, Ronnie Anne, but we really do not have time now. But it's like I said, the surprise will be worth it."

She shrugged and followed her lover into the kitchen.

She was impressed by the amount of fruit and vegetables arranged in the large room, as well as a clay wood oven with a small hole in the side.

"Since you can not cook, I'll ask for your help with the ingredients. I'm going to make a dough, so I need you to separate two sacks of flour and spread it on the table, like it's a mountain. Then pick up some dried fruit and chop it into small pieces on top of that wooden board hanging on the wall."

"And you, what will you do?"

"I'll take the hard part." He picked up a bucket and a basket. "I'm going to milk our cows and get some eggs in the chicken coop."

Lady Ronnie was shocked.

Not because Lincoln had such animals, she had seen the stable as soon as she arrived, but she had not expected him to do so.

"You're going to do it yourself? You are a prince!"

"Technically, I have been the Prince Regent since you accepted to be my fiancee. Besides, it's a task like any other. In this house, we can be royalty, but each one has his tasks."

He left smiling through the door leading to the side of the house.

The knight was still perplexed to know that her fiancé was so simple.

In all those six years as a Silent Knight, she met members of the nobility and royalty of several kingdoms, but none of them had the humility that Lincoln possessed. She could not help but imagine that he would be an excellent king with his golden heart.

Following Lincoln's instructions, she went to the corner of the kitchen, where there were several sacks. She read what was written on each one, and found the pile of sacks of flour.

For a knight, carrying two of the sacks was simple, but she did not understand why Lincoln wanted so much flour. The sacks must have weighed about twenty pounds, and even with the twelve people in the house, it looked like a lot of flour.

She then dumped the contents of the sacks on the table, and left the way Lincoln asked, leaving much of the robe white in the process.

Then she picked up the board that Lincoln showed, a little wooden square smaller than a small table and placed on the other side of the table.

She found a box with "dried fruit" written on the side, and started to chop them.

When it was almost over, Lincoln returned, bringing the full bucket and about two dozen eggs into the basket.

"Wow, do not you think that's an exaggeration, Lincoln? I know there are a lot of people in the house, but it seems like a lot to make buns."

"I guess I forgot to tell it to you." He set the bucket and basket on the table, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "I'm going to take some buns with us to Lori's. I do not know if you noticed the stew and the wild pig roast, but my food is very good, and my sisters love my buns."

"They are not the only ones." She blinked, smirking.

"It's n-not like t-that!" He blushed as he realized what he had said.

"Haha! Do not worry Lincoln, I'm just kidding. You can not take everything I say seriously."

He just accepted his defeat and decided to continue with his task.

"Okay, I'll mix the dough. You could go into the bedroom wing? There's a rope on the wall, pull it hard and will ring a bell. Touch five times and you can go back here."

Though slightly confused, the knight obeyed.

Climbing the stairs in the big house was simple, but the corridors were tricky. As soon as she reached the bedroom wing, she saw the rope Lincoln had said. She went up to the ceiling, inside the mountain.

As soon as she pulled the rope, she could hear the loud ringing of a bell, and almost covered her ears. She pulled the rope four more times, and went into the kitchen, leaning against the walls because of dizziness.

Upon entering the kitchen, she was surprised to see that Lincoln had already prepared the dough and divided more than half into several buns, each about the size of a apple.

"You really have experience with that, do not you?" She then looked at the wood oven, and realized that it was off. "Lincoln, I think you forgot the wood."

He just laughed lightly and opened the oven door.

"Do not worry, I know what I'm doing. Can you help me with the buns?"

She was a little suspicious, but helped put some of the buns into the oven, and then closed the door.

"Okay, now look how a dragon cooks with a special oven."

He knelt down and put his mouth in the hole on the side of the stove, and began to blow.

Lady Ronnie's eyes widened and her mouth open wide at the scene.

Though it looked like a wood-fired oven, it was Lincoln's fire that was baking the batch.

After a few minutes he got up and opened the oven door, and the knight smelled fresh breads. Lincoln wiped his mouth with a small towel and began to put the buns on the table.

Lady Ronnie was amazed at the speed with which the buns were ready. Seeing her gaze, Lincoln picked up a knife and cut a slice, and gave it to her to try.

She nearly fainted as she tasted the sweetness of the bread. If every Loud had their turn to cook, she could easily figure out that everyone was looking forward to Lincoln's turn.

"Lincoln, promise me that even after you become king, you will not stop cooking. Never, in any kingdom, has tasted anything so delicious."

"Thank you. I am happy to know." The prince was blushing again, happy with the compliment. "I need to catch my breath, and then I can bake the rest. It would be of great help if you set the table in the meantime."

"Sure, why not."

She went into the dining room and put twelve plates on the table, as well as twelve glasses.

When she finished, she positioned herself to enter the kitchen when she was surprised.

"Good morning, Lady Ronnie." Lana said, saluting. "Are you ready for the incredible day we will have?"

"You look very excited, Lana. Do you know something I do not know?" The knight joked.

"Well, we all know what Lincoln wants to show you, but he made us swear we would not say anything, and we always keep our promises."

The knight was impressed by the teenager's words, but she could not help but be curious about the important surprise Lincoln wanted to make.

She returned to the kitchen and Lincoln was again blowing the fire. He pointed to a metal jar on the stove, and signaled for her to take it.

She took the jar and saw that it was full of hot coffee, and carried it to the table.

She realized that the princesses were already positioning themselves to eat, just waiting for Lincoln to bring the food.

As she entered the kitchen, Lincoln was already taking the second batch of buns.

"How are they?"

"Well, everyone's already in the dining room, except Lucy, Lola, Rocky and your younger sisters." She replied, helping to put the last batch into the oven. "You're really quick to cook, are not you?"

"I can not take all the credit. This oven for dragons is much better than a normal one, just need to know how and for how long to blow."

"I think you're right. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Take that pitcher of orange juice and that basket with loaves of bread, and say you can eat. When it comes to getting out on time, you need to take advantage of every advantage."

She did as Lincoln asked, and as soon as she arrived, she saw that everyone was already at the table.

She sat down next to Lana, leaving the chair next to her for Lincoln, and they all began to eat the buns.

"Wow, Lincoln got over this time!" Lynn seemed to be in paradise.

"Can not we persuade him to give us the recipe?" Lily said, a little annoyed. "It seems a bit selfish of him not to tell us."

"Wait, you do not know how he makes these buns?" Lady Ronnie was surprised.

"No. He never leaves anyone, not even Mom stay in the kitchen while he prepares the food." Leni answered, while all the sisters get a little sad.

"But he let me stay in the kitchen." Lady Ronnie could not understand what was happening. "He even asked me to help."

The sisters looked at her with wide eyes, not believing what she said.

"He let you stay in the kitchen and still asked for your help?" Luna was puzzled.

"And did you see him make the dough?" Luan asked euphorically. "Do you know the secret ingredient?"

Lady Ronnie was thoughtful.

She had helped, but realized that even she had not seen Lincoln prepare the dough.

"Well, actually, I just helped separate some things while he fetched milk and eggs. Then he asked me to ring the bell, and when I got back the dough was ready, and I helped put it in the oven."

The princesses were disappointed. For a moment, they really thought they had discovered their brother's secret, but it seems he will never trust anyone with his secret ingredients.

It was not long before Lincoln arrived with another basket of buns and sat down.

Neither of the sisters touched on the subject after Lincoln's arrival.

They had already given up asking what was the secret to cooking so well.

After the fine meal, Luna stood up, taking the lead.

"Okay, everyone knows what to do. All the girls in the bathroom, Lincoln and Rocky are going to bathe later, and then we're off."

"Just a moment, Luna." Lincoln interrupted her, catching everyone's attention. "To make sure we get there in time, I made a deal with Lynn, so you can put your dresses on now."

"Thank you Lincoln, you always know what to do." She started to leave the room. "All right, girls, let's do this. We should get to Lori's house in time for lunch, so let's pack up and meet at the entrance of the house."

Obeying Luna's lead, Lady Ronnie and the sisters went with her to the bathroom while Rocky helped Lincoln clean the table and the dishes.

This time, Lady Ronnie was not ashamed to take a bathe with all the Loud sisters. Although she had spent much of her life avoiding people, she now felt part of the family, and that made her happy.

After the brief bathe, the girls went to their rooms while Luna took her future sister-in-law to her room to lend her a dress.

Soon, everyone began to arrive at the entrance of the house.

All but Lynn wore elegant clothes. Each of the princesses had a golden crown, encrusted with jewels that were the same colors as their dresses.

Luan wore a beautiful yellow sleeveless dress with gloves that reached the elbows

Luna was wearing a sleeveless purple dress with the skirt cut at the knees, seemingly purposely cut off by her.

Lily was chasing after some chickens, but she still managed to avoid getting her nice lavender dress dirty.

Leni was smiling a lot as she parading in her beautiful turquoise ruffled dress.

Lisa was wearing a green dress as she read absentmindedly.

Lola was wearing a sparkling pink dress with an absurdly tall collar, and even had an extremely wide skirt, like a snobby queen. She still had an absurd amount of makeup, which made her look like an older woman, though attractive. Even being a dragon, she should probably be feeling very hot with so much fabric and makeup, but in the name of the class she would endure.

Lana was the opposite. She wore a simple blue dress, in fact, simpler than any other.

Lucy was wearing a black dress that looked more appropriate for a funeral.

Rocky was wearing a Lincoln gown, from when he was younger. Lucy, of course, clinging to his arm, seeing him as her prince charming.

Lady Ronnie was wearing a beautiful purple dress that was Luna's, and she realized that the color fit her.

"Hey, did anyone there see Lincoln?" Leni asked.

Everyone looked around, and they realized that he had not yet arrived.

Normally, Lincoln was the first to be ready for a compromise, so it was worrisome he was not there.

"Sorry for the delay, I had a problem dressing this."

Everyone looked at the door, and they saw Lincoln leaving the house.

He was wearing his armor, with an orange cape around his shoulders and a gleaming crown on his head.

All were speechless to see the prince walk in an imposing way, and then address everyone.

"Very well, since Lynn and I have enchanted armors, we'll carry you to the party so we do not have to change there." He then transformed into dragon, being followed by Lynn.

Everyone looked at each other, and they split into two groups.

Leni, Luna, Luan, Lucy and Rocky mounted on Lynn, while Lady Ronnie, Lana, Lola, Lisa and Lily mounted in Lincoln.

The only difficulty was putting Lola and her dress over Lincoln, but they were soon ready to go.

With a loud noise and a strong wind, the siblings took off, taking them all to the party.

Unlike when Lincoln took Lady Ronnie and Lana to the cottage, this was a longer journey, taking a few hours to get to the other end of Dragon Domain.

Lady Ronnie noticed, by the position of the mountains, that they were near the coastal region, probably near the town of Seaweed, largely inhabited by fishermen.

After a few more minutes flying, Lincoln and Lynn began to go lower and lower, until they landed near an inn, atop a hill.

On the plaque was written "Princess of Flames," which was something appropriate for an inn in dragons territory.

As soon as they came down from the dragons, they all went to the door.

Without even knocking, Luna came in, followed by the others, while Lincoln waited for Lady Ronnie, that was walking slowly. She would not admit it, but she was very nervous.

"Your sister lives in an inn?" Lady Ronnie asked Lincoln, trying to buy time.

"She and her husband lived with us for a year and a half, but then they bought this inn, which was on the verge of bankruptcy for being inside the territory of Dragon Domain."

"I get it. So she's technically inside Dragon Domain, though she's not in the castle."

"I hope you're ready, because what you're about to see will leave you totally speechless."

Then Lincoln leaned forward, pointing to the inn.

Although a little nervous, Lady Ronnie headed to the entrance.

She passed the door, a thousand thoughts going through her head. Now that it was finally time to receive her surprise, she felt as if something big was about to happen.

The lounge of the inn was completely empty, except for a large already set table surrounded by chairs where the others were seated.

As soon as he entered, Lincoln closed the door, and they all stared at Lady Ronnie, evaluating her condition.

She was nervous and insecure, and she did not even know why.

A beautiful woman, with blond hair beginning to turn white, came out the door to the kitchen.

"Oh, you arrived. I'm so glad you came."

Lincoln wrapped his arm around Lady Ronnie's, and guided her to the woman.

"Mom, I want to introduce you to my fiancée, Lady Ronnie Anne Santiago." He turned to the knight. "Ronnie Anne, this is my mother, Princess Rita Loud."

The knight was speechless. Rita was certainly well-kept for a woman in her early fifties.

Rita looks at her tenderly, and even smiles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." She bowed, in respect of Lincoln's mother.

"Oh, I'm honored to meet you, my dear." She bowed, leaving the knight embarrassed. "I was beginning to think my little prince was going to be single forever. You can not imagine how glad I am to know that he has finally found someone to love."

Lincoln was as red as Lynn's scales, while his sisters laughed at the comment.

Before Lincoln could say anything, they heard the sound of footsteps coming upstairs. As they looked in that direction, they saw a beautiful blond-haired woman, obviously Lori, followed by a man wearing Silent Knight armor, including the helmet.

As they stepped into the hall, Lori assumed an authoritarian stance.

"Well, you know the rules. Do not eat with your hands, do not talk with your mouth full, and please, no fire breathing on the table."

Lady Ronnie was intrigued by her attitude.

Even if they were a family, she lived in another house, and she did not stop to greet anyone.

Lori's husband caused a strange feeling in Lady Ronnie. Even though he was wearing the helmet and saying nothing, she had the feeling that he was looking straight at her.

"All right everyone, let's get started." Lori said, clapping her hands.

Ronnie sat down next to Lincoln, who sat on the edge of the table, while the mysterious knight sat in the other, with Lori standing beside him.

"Well, if I may, I'd like to make a statement." The princess said, as if she were in charge of the family. "Now that Lincoln is in an engagement, he becomes the Prince Regent, so I'm planning to finally go on a honeymoon with my husband. That, of course, as soon as he solves familiar matters."

At that moment, he stood up and everyone looked at Ronnie Anne.

The young woman felt a strange throb as the mysterious man approached her.

When he finally stopped, she felt even more terrified than when she stood in front of Lynn in her dragon form.

He took off his helmet, revealing a dark-skinned man the same age as Lori.

A man she thought she would never see again.

"B-bobby?"


	13. The Surprise Pt2 - Betrayal

Ronnie Anne was totally frozen.

In front of the girl was her brother, who years ago was presumed dead. Every Loud looked at her hopefully, eager to see how she would react, while Rocky looked confused.

After a long silence, she threw herself at him and hugged him, shedding tears.

He returned the hug, also crying.

After a few minutes, she stood up, still incredulous.

"H-How is that possible? The king said that you and the others had died. How can you be alive?"

He stood up, his hands gripping hers firmly.

"It's a long story, and I'll be glad to tell you after we have lunch." He looked into her eyes, and smiled tenderly. "You can not imagine how much I waited for a chance to see you again, little sister.

She tried to eat but could not.

So that was Lincoln's surprise.

She not only discovered that her brother was alive, but also married to the infamous princess of Dragon Domain, known throughout the kingdom for being a heartless shrew, and guilty of the destruction of the kingdom years ago.

As much as she knew how the Louds really were, she could not help feeling betrayed.

She spent two whole days with their family, and none of them told her that her brother was alive.

She just couldn't understand.

Why did he never went to see her?

Why did he not send a message?

Why did he abandon her?

She could no longer hold her anger, and stood up, stomping her fists on the table.

"After all, what's going on here?"

Lincoln was worried about his fiancee, and tried to approach.

"Ronnie, calm down. If you wait..."

"Wait? Wait? Did not you think I would quietly have lunch as if nothing had happened after I knew my brother was alive? And even worse, never, in all those years, have came to see me?"

They all remained silent, not knowing how to proceed.

Lincoln did not know how to act now that Ronnie Anne seemed to be even more furious than when she tried to kill him.

No one knew how to proceed, until Bobby sighed and looked into her eyes.

"I'd rather leave it for later, but since there's no other way, then I'll tell you what happened."

Still furious, Lady Ronnie sat down, arms folded and a furious glance directed at her brother.

"It all started years ago, when I received a mission..."

* * *

 **SIX YEARS AGO**

* * *

The young Roberto Santiago is excited.

He and seven other knights were sent by King Albert to request an audience with the Princess of Dragon Domain. Even after two days of travel, they still have not found any dragon, even having crossed the part of the road that was in territory of Dragon Domain.

Despite the risks, he could not help but feel proud. In a month, it will be the time of the Academy graduation exam, and his sister Ronnie Anne was approved to take the exam.

He was taken out of his thoughts when the leader spoke.

"Attention men, we've been in enemy territory for more than a day, but that does not mean we will not be seen. Watch your surroundings, and be ready to fight for your lives."

The man was Sir Thomas, one of the elders among the Silent Knights, having even been with the now disgraced Sir Daniel. He was a big, strong man, though he was already in his fifties. Beside him was Sir Walter, a somewhat younger knight, who was Sir Thomas's right-hand man.

The others, like Bobby, were young men who had become knights only a few years ago, but who had great potential.

They were to persuade the princess to attend Lincoln to negotiate with King Albert, who wished to put an end to the ban the princess had made.

After a few hours, Sir Thomas raised his arm, signaling for the knights to stop.

Fast approaching came three dark-green dragons, apparently in golden armors. They landed in front of the knights, intimidatingly.

"You are invading sovereign territory of Dragon Domain. Leave while you are still allowed." Said the biggest of the dragons.

"I am Sir Thomas Lang, Silent Valley's Silent Knight, and I was sent by King Albert to demand an audience with your princess."

The dragons were in doubt.

Humans were banned in Dragon Domain, but nothing was said about whether or not to allow emissaries of the king.

The dragons stood in a circle talking, while Sir Thomas kept the knights attentive.

The smaller of the dragons flew away, while the other two remained blocking the road.

"The princess will be notified. You must wait for her to respond, but I can not guarantee you will like her response."

Sir Thomas only stared at the dragon, while the knights were apprehensive.

Bobby had never stood in front of a dragon, but something in the creature aroused a primitive fear in him, almost as if he were their natural predator.

After nearly an hour, the dragon returned, tired of his journey.

"The princess allows them to advance to the woods in front of Mount Pyre. They must wait for her until tomorrow morning, when she will meet them."

"Sorry for the rudeness, but why will she come to us?" Despite his fear, Bobby could not make sense of it. "Would not it be simpler for her if we go to her castle?"

The three dragons looked at each other, and the bigger one simply looked at Bobby with indifference.

"The castle became our king's resting place. No one but the family can enter. Moreover, it is she who decides whether or not to talk to you."

Without even waiting for Bobby to say something, the three dragons took off.

"Sir Roberto, next time try not to be so insolent." Sir Thomas was irritated. "These were members of the royal guard, and the last thing we need is for something to happen before we meet the princess."

Bobby kept his head down for the rest of the day.

Near the sunset, they came to the said wood, and set up camp.

They made a bonfire, and Sir Thomas called them to give a statement.

"Very well, knights, I will now explain what our true purpose is. This is a secret you all must took to your graves, so pay attention."

The knights were silent, intrigued by what the old knight said.

"More than twenty years ago, the daughter of our king, Princess Rita, was seduced by the demon we know as the Dragon King." Sir Walter continued in a somber tone. "They have cursed children, among whom is the profane princess we will meet."

"I'm sorry, Sir Walter, but you're saying this monster is related to our king?" One of the knights asked in disbelief.

"No, what we are saying is that our king's lineage has been tarnished, and needs to be purified." Sir Thomas took a inflexible tone. "Years ago, they took possession of the Alchemist's Staff, the legendary relic of the royal family. Our king wants it back, because the staff must belong to the successor to the throne, and we can not allow these creatures to control our kingdom."

"With all due respect, sir, but then what shall we do?" Bobby asked, which made all the knights look at Sir Thomas and Sir Walter with expectation.

"We will ask, in the king's name, to return the staff." Sir Walter tried to inspire confidence, though he himself did not believe in the plan. "But if we can not negotiate, we must retreat immediately."

"But Sir Walter, shall we not insist on recovering the staff?" One of the knights said, offended. "If it's so important, we should try to take it by force if necessary."

"Young man, did you really pass the exam at the Academy?" Sir Thomas glared at him, highly irritated. "As much as I do not like this, we must avoid annoying these monsters. We do not know how many of them still live in Dragon Domain, and as far as we know, only twenty of them were enough to decimate the kingdom's defenses for nearly a decade."

The knights were silent, wondering what this mission really meant.

Not only was there a chance to fail, but if they did anything to offend the princess they could cause another dragon attack.

Even worried, they went to sleep, hoping that the next day would be good.

* * *

.

* * *

The dawn arrives in the woods, waking the knights.

Bobby was one of the first to wake up, and already dressed in his armor.

Farther he saw Sir Thomas and Sir Walter talking, apparently preoccupied. It did not take long and the other knights woke up, and they also put on their armor.

They began to wait for the arrival of the princess. The minutes becoming hours, while she seemed not to arrive.

After noon, they saw dragons approaching.

Besides the three dragons they saw the day before, there were two more. One was as big as them and purple, while another was smaller and red.

Riding on the purple dragon, was a beautiful young woman with blond hair, wearing an elegant light blue dress and a gleaming crown with gems the same color as the dress.

Bobby immediately focused his eyes on the beautiful maiden in front of him.

She seemed to be in a bad mood, but she still beautiful, which made all six young knights stare at her. Almost everyone could not imagine how someone who had a reputation for being heartless could be so beautiful. To Bobby, there was something else about the princess, something he could not explain, but it made him look at her uninterruptedly.

"I'm Princess Lori Loud from Dragon Domain." Although soft, her voice emanated authority. "What does your king want to accomplish in MY kingdom?"

"Princess, I am Sir Thomas Lang, Silent Valley's Silent Knight, and we are here to request, in the name of the king, the Alchemist's Staff."

The princess narrowed her eyes, while the purple dragon and the red dragon seemed ready to attack. The green dragons looked apprehensive at the reaction of the princess and the two smaller dragons.

"You literally can only be testing my patience." Lori was furious, and her eyes went red. "The staff is where it should be, in the house of his master, the king. If that's all you have to say, I suggest you go back to YOUR king."

"Princess, be reasonable." Sir Walter decided to try to convince the princess. "The staff is part of Silent Valley's heritage, and King Albert has the right to choose who will carry the staff."

Lori simply walked to stand in front of Sir Walter. Even though he was taller, the princess stared at him so that he was intimidated.

"If you did not know, he chose my mother as his rightful heir, and she decided to pass the staff on to the one she believed would be the best king." She seemed totally inflexible, and did not let herself be shaken. "It's not because my father was murdered that the staff will leave where it is."

Bobby could not help but admire the princess's determination, even if his mission was to contradict her. He then thought he could do something to convince her to cooperate.

"Princess Lori, if you'll excuse me, I think you're overreacting."

Lori looked at him for the first time, and their eyes met. Bobby could have sworn he saw her almost stammering.

"What's your name, knight?"

All eyes were on him, and the older knights looked furious.

"I am Sir Roberto Santiago my lady, but they call me Bobby."

"Well, "Bobby", what makes you think I'm overreacting?"

"Your Majesty, your kingdom is closed, and since you have not claimed the throne so far, you are probably not interested in it. I know that Sir Daniel and his followers have hurted your Family and offended your kingdom, but do not you think that Silent Valley should have a chance to have a new king chosen by King Albert?"

The other knights just waited for the princess to try to kill Bobby for her insolence, but instead she looked at him, completely perplexed.

After a long silence, she laughed, which made the knights perplexed.

"What, did I said something funny?" Bobby felt offended, even though he was talking to royalty.

"So you really do not know?" Lori said, with irony.

"I do not know what?"

"That your beloved king caused the suffering of his people."

All the young knights were completely astonished, while Sir Thomas and Sir Walter tensed.

"But what are you talking about?" One of the knights asked furiously, not considering the princess's status. "How could this be King Albert's fault?"

"Simple. Years ago, under the false pretense of inviting us to his castle, he sent Sir Daniel and other Silent Knights to spy on us. We received them with hospitality, and they rewarded us by attacking our family in the dead of night and causing my father's death. In retaliation, my mother ordered Silent Valley to feel the same pain we felt that day."

The knights were astonished.

They did not know what to think, the way the princess spoke indicated that she was sure of what she was saying.

"Well, I guess there's no way to negotiate." Sir Thomas decided to take control of the situation before things got worse. "Is there anything you want us to tell the king?"

"If my grandfather is so worried about his kingdom, just say we'll wait until he dies to claim what's ours." Lori took a determined stance, and started walking to the purple dragon. "But he can be sure that one day Silent Valley and Dragon Domain will be one kingdom with a single king, whether he wants it or not."

Lori climbed into the purple dragon, which began to fly. Soon, the other dragons also flew, leaving the knights behind.

As Sir Thomas and Sir Walter looked at each other, the young knights were lost in thought.

Bobby, of course, was also thoughtful, but not for the revelation itself, but the impression he had.

Princess Lori did not look angry at King Albert, but hurt. He thought about how it should be to discover that her grandfather not only hates her, but also does not recognize her as heir. Worse than that, he sent Silent Knights to reclaim her inheritance as if it had been stolen.

"All right, men, time to get back to Lincoln. Our king is waiting for an answer." Sir Thomas shouted, riding his horse.

The knights soon emerged from their collective trance, and mounted their horses.

They traveled until the end of the day, setting up camp in a clearing near a river.

As the young knights prepared the sleeping area, Sir Thomas and Sir Walter seemed to be concentrating on their thoughts. It was not long before everyone was asleep, except for Bobby, who could not sleep, his mind confused.

He could not stop thinking about Princess Lori. Thinking about her hair, her eyes, the way she laughed (even though she had laughed at him), every detail of that day remained fresh in his mind, and he knew one thing: he would do anything to be able to meet her again.

In the dead of night, he withdrew from the camp with a small shovel, and sought a place to be "relieved."

After closing the hole, he prepared to return to the camp, when he was surprised by a hand touching his shoulder from behind.

He quickly turned around and was surprised by what he saw.

"P-Princess Lori? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" He asked, totally puzzled.

Before him was the dreaded Princess of Dragon Domain, wrapped in what appeared to be a sheet.

She moved closer to him, and looked him straight in the eye. He was embarrassed, but he could not stop staring into the princess's deep green eyes, glistening in the moonlight.

"Be honest with me, Bobby. What you think about me?" Lori's eyes seemed needy, as if the answer could break her heart.

The knight was petrified, not knowing what to say. A princess followed him in the middle of the night, and wanted to know his opinion of her. He was actually still trying to figure out what was going on in his head, so giving an answer was risky.

"I-I think you're a very determined person." He tried to sound confident even though he was nervous. "It's not anyone who can stand up when talking to Sir Walter, and you've left him speechless."

It made Lori smile, and she then hugged him.

"Princess, I do not want to be rude, but I have to ask, are you okay?"

"Why do you think I would not be?" She asked, not breaking her embrace.

"You're here in the middle of the night, asking someone you do not even know what he thinks of you." He stared into her eyes, firmly. "I do not want to offend you, but it does not look like a person's normal behavior."

Lori was shocked.

She herself had not realized what she was doing until Bobby mentioned it.

She was so shocked that she ran into the forest, leaving a stunned Bobby behind.

After a few minutes paralyzed, he returned to the camp, thinking he was dreaming.

* * *

.

* * *

The new day was born, and the knights rose early.

Technically, they were still in Dragon Domain, so it was best to get out as early as possible. All the knights were crestfallen, and remained silent for the entire course.

By midday, Sir Thomas and Sir Walter had changed direction, and the younger knights followed them, though confused.

After riding for some time, they reached a river, and Sir Thomas got off the horse.

"All right, we had a hard day yesterday, so we'll get some rest now."

"But we're still in Dragon Domain, Sir Thomas." One of the knights said worriedly. "Are not we going to get in trouble if we stay here?"

"We're in a safe area, and we deserve a rest after all this time traveling." Sir Thomas said, taking off his armor.

With the exception of Sir Walter, everyone soon entered the water, leaving swords and armor away from the water.

For a time, the young knights were able to forget the failed mission of the previous day, until Sir Thomas left the river and sat on a rock. They ignored it at first, until one of them shrieked, and fell hard.

The others looked immediately, and saw an arrow in the lad's back. They began to look around, looking for the attacker, when another of them was hit, right in the heart.

They looked back, and saw Sir Walter with his crossbow, preparing to shoot again.

They promptly advanced, trying to reach their swords, but were prevented by Sir Thomas, who had already taken his.

"Sir Thomas! Sir Walter! What are you doing?" One of the young knights said, before being hit on the head by an arrow.

"I'm sorry boys, but unfortunately you know too much." Sir Thomas said, with a little remorse in his eyes. "The king has decreed that no one can know the truth about Sir Daniel's attack and the Fury, so you will have to took this secret to your graves."

The young knights felt indignant, and tried to do what they could to defend themselves.

Among them, Bobby was the most confused. If King Albert could command to kill his family and anyone who knew the truth, what else could the king do?

While two other knights fell before Sir Thomas, Bobby was able to catch a sword, and with great difficulty reached Sir Walter, cutting off his crossbow.

Bobby was at a disadvantage, so he took advantage of Sir Thomas's distance and mounted one of the horses, trying to escape.

He knew he could not escape for long, and that Sir Walter had spare crossbow, so his only hope was to enter even more in Dragon Domain and hope some dragon caught him. At this point, being a prisoner to the unstable Princess Lori was a better option than dying at the hands of two of the more experienced Silent Knights.

He followed the course of the river, with the two knights in pursuit. The situation was not very favorable, for on one side there was the deep river and on the other a dense forest, in which the horse would certainly have difficulties.

After a while he saw that Sir Thomas and Sir Walter were slowing down, and he was worried.

They were not the type to give up easily, and if they were not at full speed then it was a sign that he was heading for an ambush.

It did not take long and he realized that the river was getting wider and the stream stronger, until he arrived in a large waterfall.

Bobby started to get desperate.

There was no way to get away, and his only way out would be to turn around, but now the other knights were coming.

He sighed and got off the horse, letting the poor animal run.

Having only his sword and the shield that was on the horse's saddle, he would not surrender without a fight.

"That's the end of the line, Santiago." Sir Thomas said from his horse, sword in hand. "You can let me handle this, Walter. It should not be too long."

Despite being more than twice Bobby's age, Sir Thomas was among the best Silent Knights. From what Bobby heard, he helped kill two dragons during the Fury, in addition to being the Academy's instructor for the last ten years.

They fought with great determination, but the fact of being without armor ended up impairing Bobby.

An opening was enough to have his thorax pierced, just below the heart. He immediately dropped his sword and shield, and his vision blurred at the same time that his mouth was filled with blood, and fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Roberto." Sir Thomas approached, and began dragging him to the cliff. "Your father would be proud of you."

He then pushed Bobby, letting the waterfall finish his job.

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

Slowly, Bobby began to regain consciousness, and he felt a lot of pain.

He put his hand on his chest, and felt bandages wrapped around his body.

He looked around, and realized that he was in a huge bed, in a very well-appointed room, worthy of the nobility. However, what really surprised him was a blond-haired girl who was sleeping beside him.

He immediately recognized the princess of Dragon Domain, and was confused.

How did he survived, and how did he end up in that bed?

"P-Princess Lori..." He began to shake the sleeping princess's shoulder. "Wake up, please."

She slowly opened her eyes, and almost had a heart attack when she saw the knight awake.

"Bobby! You're finally awake!" She hugged him tightly, and began to cry. "I was so worried. I started to think you'd never wake up."

He blushed, and was so embarrassed that he did not even feel pain. He thought the princess was really beautiful, but her behavior was disturbingly unstable.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"Do not be so formal, Bobby." She said, kissing his cheek. "Call me Lori."

"Right. Lori, what happened? The last thing I remember is being impaled by Sir Thomas."

She sat on the bed with a furious look in her eyes.

"Do not even think about that monster. Even being my grandfather's pawns, I still do not believe what they did."

"What happened, exactly?"

"Bobby, I need you to be strong, because what I'm going to say is very serious. You've been asleep for almost two weeks."

The young knight was astonished, and tried to assimilate the information.

"So you've been taking care of me all this time?"

"Well, my mother and my sisters have helped, but yes, I have taken care of you. She started blushing, stared down uncomfortably.

"Wow, I do not even know what to say. I'm very grateful, Lori."

Before they said anything else, the bedroom door opened, and a white-haired boy entered the room.

"Lori, Mom told me to call you to..."

He stared at the knight, surprised to see him awake. He then saw the look of his sister, begging him to leave.

"Well, I'm not going to disturb you. When you're ready, just get down."

He left, closing the door.

The knight was quiet for some time, until he decided to ask.

"Who was he?"

"Oh, that's my brother, Lincoln." Lori replied, smiling happily. "Actually, you owe your life to him."

"What are you talking about?" Bobby was confused.

"That night I met you, I had asked him to follow your party, to make sure you left Dragon Domain without any kind of trouble. He saw everything, and saved you just before you fell into the bottom of the waterfall."

Bobby was shocked. Not only was he under the care of the royal family, but he had also been saved by a prince.

He could not help feeling that he was in debt to Lori and her family.

"But why bother to take care of me? I'm just a knight like any other."

"Bobby, how much do you know about dragons?" She asked as she lay down again.

"Honestly, after what has happened, I do not think I'm sure of anything."

"So let me tell you something." She smiled as she slid a finger across the knight's chest. "We have something special, called link."

"And what would that link be? Something to worry about?"

"In a way, yes. When one of us feels that has suffered the link, it means that he or her is permanently connected to another person. It's the most genuine and powerful love you can feel, and I ended up having a link with you."

"W-With me? A-Are you sure about this?"

"At first, I thought it was just concern, but when I noticed, I had left my room in the middle of the night to find you, even though I had sent my brother to follow you. Besides, I almost fainted when Lincoln brought you, covered in blood. No, I'm sure, I can not live without you." She hugged him again, and rested her head on his chest.

Bobby felt completely lost.

He had also felt something when he met the princess, but he was not sure if he really loved her.

He paused a bit to think, and concluded that someone who did so much for him would surely have to love him deeply.

He did not know where that would lead him, but he knew he would stay with Lori, no matter how.

"If you're feeling better, we can come down and introduce you to my family." Lori said, her puppy eyes practically demanding that he accept.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

 **TODAY**

* * *

"After that day, Lori and I became closer and closer, and after two months we got married." Bobby finished his story, waiting for an answer from his sister.

Lady Ronnie was shocked to discover that her brother and the others were attacked to keep the secret of King Albert.

Not only that, but the fact that Lincoln and his family saved her brother from dying like a stranger in a foreign land.

"I dont understand. If you were alive all this time, why did not you tell me? You could at least send me a letter."

"Actually, that was my idea." Lincoln said, looking at her with a little shame. "If our grandfather suspected that you knew the truth, he would probably try to kill you. So, to keep you safe, we persuaded Bobby to stay in Dragon Domain until I could claim the throne."

She said nothing. She just got up from the table and left the inn with her head down.

She started walking through the yard when Lincoln left the inn, more worried than frightened. He ran to her and hugged her, taking her by surprise.

"Ronnie Anne, I know it's hard to accept everything, but..."

She returned the hug, and he realized she was crying.

"I am not mad with you. In fact, I'm happy to know that you saved my brother. I'm just disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"I spent the past few years devoting myself to the kingdom, and serving your grandfather, believing that he was a righteous man, and now I find that everything bad that has happened to me in my life was his fault."

"You're not the only one. After Sir Daniel's attack, I accepted that my grandfather would never consider us as part of his family, but it still hurts my sisters. That's why I want to go to Lincoln tomorrow, I want to settle this with my grandfather, once and for all."

"To tell you the truth, I was not very confident about your plan." She looked him in the eye, determined. "But now that I know what your grandfather is really capable of, I do not know that I can stand in front of him without trying to kill him."

Lincoln smiled, and kissed her.

"So do I."

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, but I had to get the house ready to greet some relatives tomorrow during Mother's Day.**

 **Next week, we will finally see the meeting between Prince Lincoln and King Albert, something that is sure to frighten Silent Valley.**


	14. All Hail The King Pt1-The Confession

**"Every story ever told can be broken down into three parts. The beginning. The middle. And the twist." - Jack Black, Goosebumps movie**

 **My story is coming to an end, and what better way to end than with a great turnaround?**

* * *

.

* * *

After the brief conversation with Lincoln, Lady Ronnie followed him back into the inn.

Everyone was happy to see that the knight was feeling better, and they could enjoy the day with the family. They even told embarrassing stories of when the future bride and groom were children, leaving them very embarrassed.

But best of all, Lady Ronnie could be with her brother again. With him being part of her life again, the young woman was feeling complete. Now that she had Lincoln's family, and discovered that her brother was alive, she felt she was part of a family again.

By the time it was late at night, the family split into pairs in the upstairs rooms, while Lori and Bobby went to their room on the lower floor.

Even having the chance to be alone in a room with Lincoln, Lady Ronnie could only think of sleeping, to be prepared for what they would do the next day.

Despite the arduous task, the couple managed to sleep heavily, and they woke up early, waking Lana and Rocky.

Although the house was silent, the four had to leave with the least noise, since, at Lincoln's request, neither Lori nor his mother knew they would go to Lincoln to meet King Albert.

They left discreetly and headed for the Loud house on Lincoln's back.

As soon as they landed, Lana entered the house, and took the luggage the three knights had taken, while Lincoln once again tried to make the horses behave on his front paws. As soon as Lana began tying things to the saddles of the animals, Lady Ronnie noticed a little barrel.

"Hey, what are you carrying in there, Lincoln?"

"Oh, it's just some spicy wine." He replied, a bit embarrassed. "Although we do not have a friendly relationship with my grandfather, it is protocol to take something on a visit to another ruler."

"Offer of peace? I do not know if he deserves so much consideration on our part." She spoke with disdain, obviously wishing the old man's head on a silver tray.

Despite the clearly partial comment, Lincoln simply took off, leaving that aside.

At present, the prince regent was more concerned with his fiancée than with his grandfather.

Although he was about to do something he had wanted to do for a long time, he realized that Ronnie Anne was still very angry with the truth about the old king, and how his selfish choices not only caused trouble for the kingdom but also for her life. In fact, even her personality had been shaped by the things she believed in, and now she seemed to want to get satisfaction from the king.

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

Because of the distance between the Loud house and the town of Lincoln, it took them a few hours to see the city walls, so that it was almost sunset.

Needless to say, a dragon flying towards the capital of the kingdom created a certain panic, so that all the people rushed to their homes, and every Silent Knight and squire who was there at the time was divided into two groups, one to protect the castle and another to go to the entrance of the city.

Among all the knights, there was one who did not seem to be surprised by the presence of the dragon.

Sir Rusty was already worried about Lady Ronnie entering forbidden territory, even more accompanied by none other than a dragon princess. He was sure that even if Lincoln and Lana liked Rocky, Lady Ronnie would not have much chance of coming back alive, especially if she tried to kill some dragon, something he was sure she would do without thinking twice. Even so, he did not expect it to be enough to make a dragon appear in the capital.

The knights were ready to fight as soon as the dragon was in a position to attack, but they were surprised when they realized that he carried horses on his paws, and seemed to carry people on his back, covered by his long white mane.

Following his plan, Lincoln landed a little far from the entrance of the city and released the horses, while Lady Ronnie and her squires descended from Lincoln, which returned to his human form.

While Lady Ronnie was riding her horse, Lana and Rocky shared a horse so Lincoln could ride the other. The four then made their way to the entrance, where they were met by a shocked knight.

"L-lady Ronnie? What are you doing with a dragon?" He asked, trying to demonstrate authority, but failing ridiculously.

"How are you, Sir Charles?" She said, smiling. "You probably do not know, but I was sent by King Albert on a secret mission in Dragon Domain."

"D-did you go to Dragon Domain!?" He did not believe what he was hearing, but upon seeing the Silent Knight knowed by her hate for dragons riding on one was an undoubted proof. "But if you went on a secret mission, why are you here with him?"

The knights and squires around them were inwardly begging for her not to have done anything to cause a war, but they were not prepared for the answer she gave.

"This is Lincoln, Prince Regent of Dragon Domain." She said, pointing to the illustrious visitor. "He's here to discuss with King Albert about the future of the two halves of our kingdom."

This took all the knights by surprise.

Although they did not know how to react, they immediately felt at ease knowing that, at least for the time being, there would be no problem with their "incendiary neighbors."

"Well, I admit I'm surprised by all this." Sir Charles replied, a little embarrassed. "But I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but I have never heard of a Prince Regent in Dragon Domain."

"That does not surprise me, my good man." Lincoln said, rather pompously. "Actually, I took charge a few days ago, and that's my first assignment as the leader of my people."

The knight was impressed by the prince's attitude, since he wanted to meet someone who had ruled a kingdom before the prince was born.

Quickly he sent a knight on one of the fastest horses to announce Prince Lincoln's arrival to the king, and then signaled for the other Silent Knights and squires to escort the regent to the castle.

It was not long before the news spread through the city.

Soon, everyone was at the doors and windows, watching the strange parade.

Even though Lady Ronnie and Lana seemed calm on the outside, they were very nervous. They were literally surrounded by Silent Knights, who could end up attacking the group at any moment. Even Rocky, who was usually impassive, was sweating cold.

Lincoln, however, was smiling from ear to ear, waving at people who seemed to be undecided about whether or not to fear the visitor. Some people even recognized Lincoln from the many times that he visited the city dressed like a simple traveler. They could hardly believe their eyes when they saw him in his lustrous armor, with a beautiful cape swaying in the wind.

After what seemed an eternity to Lady Ronnie and her squires, they arrived at the castle.

For the first time in her life, Lady Ronnie was completely unsure as she gazed at the castle, torn between the guilt of hating her king and the anger at the consequences of the choices he made. Although she had sworn allegiance to the king of Silent Valley, she wanted, with every fiber of her being, that the kingdom was ruled by any other person so that she could kill him without being considered a traitor.

They left the horses with the royal stablemen and took only the barrel, and were led by Sir Charles into a large hall in the castle where he had left them waiting.

After a long wait, Lincoln realized that his lover was a little restless, and decided to approach her.

"What happened? You're usually much more determined."

"I have a very bad feeling about this, Lincoln." She stared into his eyes for support. "I should have convinced you to leave it for later, and not go straight into a confrontation."

"Hey, we did not come to start a war, we came to talk with my grandfather and discuss the fate of the kingdom when he die."

"But..."

"No "but", we'll keep our cool, and if someone has to look immature, it will be him."

That made her smile, and then hugged him.

"I do not want to interrupt, but... what's going on here?"

They looked at the entrance to the hall, and they saw Sir Rusty, utterly ashamed.

Lady Ronnie then saw the chance to make a joke with her old friend.

"Oh, nothing, just having a moment with my fiance before our meeting with his grandfather."

The one-armed knight was shocked, utterly speechless.

"What is it, Sir Rusty?" Lincoln decided to join in the joke. "Do not you think a girl like her would get a guy like me?"

"N-it's not that, it's just... I mean... y-you're a... and she's..."

"Relax, Rusty. It's just a joke." Lady Ronnie seemed to reassure him, though it was amusing. "I mean, we're engaged, but it's a long story, and I do not think we have the time right now. By the way, what are you doing here?"

"Well, since your mission is over, I've come to get the squires before you go to King Albert." He said, a little uncomfortable. "I'm not sure what you're going to say to him, but he summoned the best Silent Knights to the throne room. Personally, I do not have a good feeling about this meeting."

Both Lincoln and Lady Ronnie were intrigued. The king was gathering the best knights before receiving his unusual visitor, and that was enough to make them worried.

"Well, I think you'd better take them with you then." Lincoln said seriously. "Though not my intention, I know it's possible that this will end in a great fight, and I do not want Lana, Rocky, or any other squire caught in the crossfire."

"I know we're not exactly best friends, but still... I wish you good luck." The knight said, holding out his only hand.

Lincoln smiled, and he shook hands with the knight, who then left the room with the squires.

Before leaving, Lana hugged Lincoln, as if it were the last time she would see him.

"Be careful, big bro."

"Do not worry, little sis. I'll be careful."

As soon as the three of them left, Sir Charles returned to the hall.

"Prince Lincoln, King Albert is waiting for you."

With Lady Ronnie, Lincoln accompanied the knight to the throne room. Lincoln and Lady Ronnie walked in, while Sir Charles closed the door behind the them.

On the vast hall was about thirty Silent Knights scattered along the flanks of the red carpet leading to the king. Lady Ronnie noticed that even the youngest among them should be twice her age, indicating that all those knights should be aware of what really happened in the kingdom. She was sure of that when she saw Sir Thomas and Sir Walter among them. She had to control herself not to advance against them by what they did with her brother and his companions.

Despite the suspicious looks, some of them were surprised by the barrel that Lincoln was carrying, wondering what it could have inside.

Lincoln could finally stand face-to-face with his grandfather, sitting on his throne with a serious expression.

For a moment the prince was even a bit intimidated, but he remembered all the sadness his sisters had felt over the years, and how Bobby and his companions were unfairly attacked for having discovered the relationship between him and his grandfather. That was enough to renew his confidence.

He then set the barrel down and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I am glad to finally meet you." He said, trying to be nice, despite being with a strange anger forming.

"I'd like to say that I'm happy with your visit, but I think it's more important that we stick to what really matters." Albert answered coldly.

"Of course. To begin with, I think you owe me an explanation." Lincoln said, then pointed at Lady Ronnie. "One of your Silent Knights not only entered my realm, but also tried to invade my castle, which, according to her, should be in ruins."

King Albert was shocked for a moment, but then realized that it would make sense for the dragons to repair their castle after fifteen years.

"Well, I'm afraid this is a personal matter you should not be aware of."

"With all due respect, but I believe I am perfectly well informed, even more knowing that she has been sent to take MY Alchemist Staff."

All the Silent Knights were amazed by the prince's boldness, while the king was furious.

"The Alchemist's Staff is a mystical artifact that belongs to the royal family of Silent Valley. What makes you think you have the right to declare it to be yours?"

"As I see it, it is my birthright, since you gave it to my mother as your successor, and she passed on to me as her successor."

Albert was completely astonished, while his knights were in complete shock.

Before him was one of the grandchildren he had never met.

He looked at the young man again, this time paying attention to every detail. He stared intently at his face with an imposing attitude, just as his hair that even unkempt looked attractive. Despite the white hair, it was like seeing one of the portraits of when he was a young prince.

The old king was lost in thought until he suddenly stood up.

"Come with me." He said, heading for the door next to the throne.

Though still confused by his grandfather's reaction, Lincoln followed, taking Lady Ronnie by the hand. The king was a bit surprised, but decided not to upset his grandson.

The Silent Knights were apprehensive to see their king enter the room with the prince, and they were somewhat uncomfortable to see how he held Lady Ronnie's hand.

Upon entering the room, Lincoln noticed a large round table with a map of Silent Valley and Dragon Domain. His grandfather sat in a chair in front of the table, and he and Lady Ronnie did the same.

Despite being a bit uncomfortable sitting so close to his grandfather, Lincoln decided to follow the music.

"So, how did you became the regent of Dragon Domain?" Albert looked puzzled. "I thought Princess Lori was in charge."

"She was not really in charge." Lincoln replied, still a little suspicious. "The laws of Dragon Domain are a bit sexist, so a princess can only run the kingdom if the king is sick. Although, in a way, I do not have much power over the other dragons either."

"I understand. So, what exactly do you want? From what Sir Thomas and Sir Walter told me, your sister made it clear that none of you would come here until after I die."

"Honestly, I don't mind ruling either kingdom, but I know it's best for my family, especially Lori, who can not leave the kingdom until the new king of Dragon Domain is crowned."

"Did you took the position of regent without even wanting it?" Albert was shocked. "Honestly, I don't see you as being able to rule a kingdom, let alone two"

"Well, that would be true, were it not for the fact that he intends to unify the two halves of the kingdom into one." Lady Ronnie exclaimed, leaving the king surprised.

"Are you aware of his plans?"

"Of course she is." Lincoln took Ronnie Anne's hand and kissed it. "After all, she's my fiancée."

"What!?" Albert was totally paralyzed, his heart almost stopped beating.

As soon as his grandfather recovered, Lincoln gave a brief summary of what his "first date" was to his fiancée, which left the old king even more perplexed.

"Even after she tries to kill you, do you still want her as your wife? I knew this link thing was crazy, but I did not imagine it was so sick."

"Sorry, I forgot that this is not something you approve of." Lincoln retorted, with disdain.

"You think you understand me, do not you?"

"I believe I have a clear idea of who you are, since you'd rather have someone invade my father's grave and steal my inheritance than accept me as your successor. But of course, I think it is expected of the man who wanted his grandchildren killed when they were still little kids!"

Lincoln was furious.

He looked at his grandfather with hatred, his eyes changing color uncontrollably, and his breathing heavy.

Albert, however, seemed utterly intimidated by the prince's words.

The truth was that he felt a great remorse for the people who lost their lives because of his selfish decisions. Had it not been for the desperation to get a new successor to the throne, he would not even have sent Lady Ronnie to Dragon Domain. If the pain he was already feeling was not enough, Lincoln ended up with a final blow.

"For years, all I wanted was a chance to look into your eyes, and ask the reason to hate your grandchildren. After all, is it because we're dragons or do you hate us just for being alive?

Even with all the anger she had been feeling since the day before, Lady Ronnie could not help but feel sorry for the old man in front of her, utterly devastated by the words of his grandson.

"L-Lincoln, do not you think you should take it easy?"

"I do not have to take it easy!" Lincoln shouted, and she saw he was crying. He then looked again at his grandfather, who was still speechless. "Do you have any idea how many times I've seen my sisters get depressed or cry because they know the only family we have never would accept us for being who we are? For knowing that our father died because our family was considered an abomination in the eyes of our own grandfather? For seeing that I had to act like a father to my younger sister, who does not even remember our father? Tell me, "Grandpa," do I really have any reason to take it easy?"

Although he wanted to say even more harsh words to his grandfather, Lincoln realized Albert was crying too.

That was enough to make the anger he felt diminished, giving Albert a chance to speak.

"Son, I know you do not have to believe me, but I'm really sorry. But above all, you need to understand one thing. I never hated your father or your sisters for being dragons, the real reason for all these problems was my pride."

"What are you talking about?" Lincoln was interested in what Albert had to tell.

"The truth is, I've always been a selfish, manipulative man until the day your mother was born. She awakened something in me, something that surpassed my selfishness, or so I thought. When she was fifteen, I went to visit King Frederick of Breeze Grove, and we began discussing the marriage between our children. Even though I was deceiving myself by saying that it was best for your mother, the truth is that I have always coveted the riches of other kingdoms, especially those of Breeze Grove. This marriage would provide for the expansion of my kingdom, and for years I focused on it."

Lincoln did not know what to think.

Despite trying to justify himself, his grandfather seemed to be confessing to being as despicable as Lincoln ever believed he was.

"Let me guess, my father ruined it?"

"Yes," Albert admitted, with a little remorse. "Even if I focused on the kingdoms off the continent, I could not help considering taking advantage of what was right next to me, and I decided to try to take advantage of our neighbouring land. What I did not know was that King Lynn had a son, who was commanding the kingdom while his father was sick. At first I thought I was taking advantage of an inexperienced and distracted prince, until I realized that the reason for such a distraction was my daughter. Since she did not seem to like him, I did not care. I actually advised her to be nice to him, so he would be even easier to manipulate."

"But that did not work, did it? After all, the link works on both sides. If he was in love with her, she would probably feel something after spending more time with him."

"Exactly, and that made me furious. It was then that I abruptly and unkindly told about the arranged marriage, and that left her devastated. I thought she only needed time to accept the situation, but then she came in with an ultimatum, and said that I could be her father, but I wasn't her owner. At the time, I considered it an affront, but still would not start a war against the dragons because of a rebellious daughter. Then, one day, the knights came to tell me that a dragon was approaching Lincoln, and I discovered that your mother had conceived their first child."

Lincoln was anxious for his grandfather to continue, although it seemed that he was having difficulty continuing his confession.

As she watched this strange family moment, Lady Ronnie wondered how she had never realized the king's true face.

"As soon as I saw your parents holding the baby, I felt a deep joy, which was gradually suppressed by my anger. As much as I was happy to have a granddaughter and see my daughter again, my pride spoke louder, and I ended up saying terrible things to your mother. For more than a decade, your mother did not send news, so I had to get them through spies, who informed me that she had nine children, and that she lived happily with her husband, now the Dragon King."

"That's when you decided to send Sir Daniel, did not you?" Lady Ronnie saw that the conversation was taking a nasty turn, and tried to hold on. "Did you really decide to kill your family because of an arranged marriage?"

"I can not say I'm proud of it, especially with the consequences of my choice." He seemed even more consumed with guilt, having difficulty even looking at his grandson. "I could not accept that my daughter and the man she decided to love were happy while I felt increasingly miserable. It was then that I called Sir Daniel, who at the time was the commander of the Silent Knights. He received my order, and arranged a plan to kill Lynn and their children and bring my daughter by force. In my troubled mind, if she lost the family she had decided to have, she would have no choice but to obey my order and marry who I choose. However, Sir Daniel ended up failing in the mission, which resulted in the destruction of great part of the kingdom, as well as the closing of the roads that pass through Dragon Domain. I spent all these years knowing that my subjects were having a great difficulty in locomotion and commerce because of my selfishness, and, of course, that I had conquered my daughter's hatred."

Lincoln could not help feeling sorry for his grandfather, even though he knew how much he deserved to suffer.

"She does not hate you." He held his grandfather's hand, trying to comfort him. "She always said that even after all, she does feel pity for you, because she's sure you're not happy."

Albert let tears escape again, moved by the gentleness of his grandson. Even knowing he did not deserve it, he was relieved to see that he seemed to be able to have compassion even after all that had happened.

"Look, this is very touching, but I want to know one thing." Lady Ronnie looked sternly at the king, concentrating only on having answers. "Did you have any intention of telling me about my brother?"

The king looked at her with confusion until he understood what she meant.

"How... how did you..."

"Bobby's alive." Lincoln said, releasing his grandfather's hand and clutching his fiancée's shoulders. "I've saved him after Sir Thomas and Sir Walter left him to die. We took care of his injuries and he married Lori."

Albert was surprised. Not only because a knight had survived Sir Thomas's cowardly attack, but because such a knight had been welcomed into the family the king had denied.

"That was a terrible misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding!?" This time, Lady Ronnie was the one angry with the king. "My brother and the others were Silent Knights, and they were killed as if they were cockroaches! How can you say it was just a misunderstanding?"

"(Sigh), I actually decreed to the knights involved not to let anyone know what really happened, but I never wanted anyone killed. I had Sir Thomas and Sir Walter try to get the Alchemist's Staff in order to choose another successor to the throne, but they ended up getting a clear answer. From what they told me, Lori spoke in a way that made me look like a monster, and decided that it was dangerous to let impressionable young men spread the story the way they heard it, so they chose to kill them and blame the dragons, thinking it would please me, but it infuriated me."

"But then why were they never punished?" She assumed a tone of authority even as she spoke to the king. "If they did not follow your orders, you should have done something."

"Unfortunately, I could not punish them without exposing what had happened, which would lead to questions that should not be asked. As such, I had to punish them otherwise, leaving them out of any mission, arresting them here in the capital for the last six years. I know it's not enough for the death of the young knights they killed, but that's what I could do without making my kingdom crumble."

Both Lincoln and Lady Ronnie were speechless.

Although they did not want to admit it, they were sympathetic to the old king's story. Even after all, he seemed to be really sorry, so there was only one thing left to do.

"What are you going to do now?" Lincoln asked, trying to sound neutral. "Honestly, I intended to do as Lori suggested and wait for you to die to claim the throne, but first I wanted to talk to you at least once."

Albert was silent, wondering how he would respond to his grandson.

He felt ashamed for what he did to his daughter and grandchildren, and he was sure that nothing he said could make them forgive him for what he did. Still, he felt he could trust Lincoln. Just looking at the young man made him realize that he would be a great leader.

No, he was already one.

He felt tempted to do as Lincoln said he intended to do, and simply let the kingdom receive their new king after he passed away, taking his secret to the tomb.

When he was about to speak, he looked at Lady Ronnie, and thought of all the subjects of his kingdom who had lost relatives because of his actions. He thought of the centuries of truce between humans and dragons, and how he ruined it with his ambition and selfishness.

It could not be that easy.

He could not die like a coward.

Before going to the grave, he had to redeem himself.

"Actions speak louder than words. Come with me."

He left the room and returned to the throne room, where the Silent Knights were waiting. Lincoln and his fiancée were left behind, somewhat confused by the reaction of the old king.

"Send an urgent message throughout the kingdom." He said with determination. "In exactly seven days, at noon, I will make a proclamation to the kingdom, and I want not only the subjects, but also that all the houses of the nobility be present." He turned to Lincoln, and assumed a softer tone. "Lincoln, I know I do not deserve it, but could you bring your mother? I want her to hear what I'm going to say."

"And what would it be?" The prince asked, a little suspicious.

"The truth!"


	15. All Hail The King Pt2- Betrayal

A new day arrives in Silent Valley. The sun rises on the horizon, as people begin to wake up. In every town and village of the kingdom, everyone begins to comment on the message that was sent by King Albert.

Many wonder what the nature of the proclamation is, although in the places closest to Lincoln, everyone is commenting on the dragon that went to the capital of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, in that town, tree knights are hurrying toward the throne room.

"No need to be nervous. Just be serious and everything will work out." Lady Ronnie said, smiling.

Beside her was Lana, even more insecure than when she was about to enter Dragon Domain with the knight.

"All right, I'll try." She said, forcing a smile.

A few hours earlier, Lincoln returned to Dragon Domain to tell to his mother and sisters of his meeting with his grandfather, while Lady Ronnie would stay with King Albert.

Although he was glad to have had a special moment with his grandfather, Lincoln still did not fully trust the old king, while Lady Ronnie did not trust the other Silent Knights. The three agreed that Lady Ronnie would accompany him all the time, to make sure that nothing would happen before the king confessed what he had done.

The king asked if she would like to call some other knight to help her, but due to recent events, she chose to call Rocky and Lana, the only ones in the whole city she trusted. Rocky just shrugged when he received the mission, while Lana almost freaked out.

Even though she discovered that her brother had gotten along with the king, she did not feel comfortable in the presence of her grandfather. After all, she was afraid of her grandfather, and she did not want to risk being discovered. Still, she trusted Lady Ronnie, and she knew that if she had a bad feeling, then that must be a very serious situation.

After a brief explanation of what the king intended to do, the squires entered with her into the throne room, where a discussion took place between the King and some of the older knights.

"That's a total nonsense!" Sir Thomas said, being supported by most of the knights. "The people of Silent Valley will never accept that! Not to mention the reputation of the royal family, who will surely fall into disgrace!"

"My decision has been made, Sir Thomas." The king took an uncompromising stance, making his intentions clear. "I've denied my family for too long. If I can have their forgiveness before I die, I do not care that the whole kingdom hates me."

"Your Majesty clearly does not understand the repercussions this will have on the whole kingdom." Sir Walter said, supporting his friend. "If the people know the true reason for the Fury, they will certainly question the decision of your heir."

"You can only see what you want to see?"

All the knights turned their attention to a knight at the bottom of the throne room, arms folded.

She was a beautiful blond-haired woman in her early thirties. She wore armor and, like Lady Ronnie and other Silent Knights, wore a cape as a sign of belonging to a noble family.

"Hey, Lady Ronnie." Lana whispered so that only the knight could hear. "Who is she?"

"This is Lady Danielle, Sir Daniel's daughter." The knight answered, also whispering. "She was one of my instructors at the Academy, and she's as tough as I am."

"What do you do here?" Sir Thomas asked, surprised to see the knight.

"You did not think that, of all the knights in the kingdom, I would be one of those that do not know the truth?" Lady Danielle asked, causing discomfort to all those who supported Sir Thomas. "But that's not important. What really matters is that our king decided to relieve his conscience, revealing everything to the people. As Silent Knights, we swore to serve the king and the kingdom, so that this discussion itself could already be considered as sedition."

The knights were deeply offended, but dared not say more. In silence, they just waited for something to be said, until the king realized that Lady Ronnie had already returned with her squires.

"This meeting is over. Confirm if the birds have already delivered the message and tell the squires to help prepare the city for the arrival of my subjects."

Except for Lady Ronnie and her squires, all the knights came out of the throne room, most of them angry with the king.

Lady Danielle closed the door, leaving the trio alone with the king.

"Lady Ronnie, I'm glad to see you." Albert was excited by the presence of his grandson's future wife, but then he noticed the young people who accompanied her. "Did you called squires to accompany you?"

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I beg you not to underestimate them." She said with an authoritative tone. "Rocky and Lana will soon take the graduation exam, and they've escorted me to Dragon Domain and come back with not even a scratch."

The king was impressed by Lady Ronnie's reply, and looked more closely at them.

Looking back at Rocky, he remembered that he was the brother of Sir Rusty, the Academy's instructor.

But what really caught his attention was the beautiful girl next to him. Her blond hair, her face, everything in her reminded him of...

"Your Highness, are you okay?" Lady Ronnie asked, pulling him out of his trance.

"Uh, of course, of course! I thought... it's nothing, just let it go."

"Well, we have seven days until your proclamation. What do you plan to do in the meantime?"

"Honestly, I think it best to remain in the throne room. My knights are somewhat agitated, and Sir Thomas is an influential man. The wisest would be to avoid all of them until this issue is resolved."

"Do not worry. We will make sure nothing happens." Lady Ronnie exclaimed victoriously. "As far as I'm concerned, nothing will stop the truth from being revealed."

* * *

 **MEANWHILE, IN THE PRINCESS OF THE FLAMES INN…**

* * *

Lincoln was exhausted.

He left the city before sunrise, heading to his mother at full speed. But even if he was eager to tell the news to his family, he was still a little worried.

As soon as his grandfather proposed that he bring his mother, he asked Lady Ronnie to take care of his grandfather, though secretly she should watch him all the time. It was not that he did not trust his grandfather, but life taught him that you should not totally trust anyone, especially if they met only once.

He landed in front of the inn, and returned to his human form. He headed for the entrance, and as he was about to knock, several hands emerged from inside the residence, and pulled him inside.

"Lincoln! We were so worried!" Leni said, hugging him so tightly that his eyes almost popped.

"I... can't... breathe..."

At that, she released him, giving him a chance to breathe. Looking closely, he saw almost all his sisters in front of him, and by the state of their faces, they obviously did not sleep well.

"What happened? Where are the others?" Lynn asked, seeing that he came back alone.

"Well, it's a long story, but first we have to call Mom and Lori." He began to walk through the large hall, and sat down in a chair. "They're surely will want to know what happened."

The princesses were shocked.

He had made them swear they would not tell the truth to their mother, so that his visit to their grandfather was secret.

"Are you sure about that?" Luan said worriedly. "She's worried, thinking you just drove them in Lincoln. If she finds out what you really did..."

"And what did he really do?"

They all turned, and saw their mother at the top of the stairs, with an unfriendly gaze.

They began to panic as she slowly descended the stairs, her eyes fixed on the girls. They knew they were in trouble, and they could only hope for the worst.

"Okay, who's going to tell me what's going on?" Their mother demanded, very sternly.

"Do not worry, Mom, I'll tell you." Lincoln said, trying to remain calm, but internally panicking. "I told them I wanted to tell you and Lori, since it's a matter of the utmost importance."

Rita was surprised at the words of her only son, but not so surprised as seeing that he was wearing a enchanted armor. If he had gone to the capital of the kingdom dressed like that, he probably got into trouble.

" _Was it possible that he..."_

"Lily, would you be so kind as to call your sister?"

The girl took advantage of the cue and ran to her sister's room. As she called Lori, all the others stared at their mother's serious expression, which in turn focused the vision on Lincoln. The prince knew he was in trouble, but what really bothered him was to imagine his mother's reaction. Since his father died, Lincoln realized that just mentioning his grandfather made Rita melancholic.

She was not the sort of person who held a grudge. Instead, she felt a huge disappointment. Knowing that her own father was following a path that led him ever more to loneliness and ruin made the princess more and more sad. But did she really not kept hard feelings against her father? Or was there a side of her that Lincoln did not know about?

"This better be important!" Lori raged, rubbing her eyes. "I barely slept that night, and Bobby is even more tired than I am."

Behind her came an even more drowsy Bobby, and a still frightened Lily.

"Believe me, Lori, that's important." Lincoln got up, and took a firm stance. "Where's Lucy?"

"She disappeared since yesterday morning." Luna said, a little worried. "I do not think she accepted very well that Rocky had to return to the capital."

"Well, I guess we'll have to go on without her." Lincoln was upset for not being able to tell this to the whole family at once, but decided not to let this disturb him. "But before I tell you what happened, I think you'd better sit down."

Though unsure, they all followed Lincoln's directions and took chairs in the parlor, forming a half-circle in front of the prince.

"Okay, the truth is, I was not just leaving Ronnie, Lana, and Rocky in Lincoln. I took them in my dragon form, and demanded an audience with the king."

"You what!? Lori shouted, clearly shocked.

"Lincoln, sweetie, tell me you did not did it." Rita looked into his eyes, begging not to be true. "Your grandfather finally left us alone. Why irritate him?"

"Mom, he did not left us alone." Lincoln knelt down in front of her, and held his mother's trembling hands. "I asked the girls not to tell, but the truth is, Lady Ronnie was sent to look for the Alchemist's Staff. Luckily, she found me before she got into trouble, but it does not change the fact that she was sent by him to steal us. I had to put a stop to that, and that's what I did."

"And... what happened?" Lola asked, worried about her twin.

"He received me in the throne room, which was full of Silent Knights. At first he was very rude and unfriendly, until I told him I was his grandson. After that, he took me to the war room and talked to me and Lady Ronnie."

"Has he talked to you alone?" Lori was shocked. "Only you in a room, and then you left?"

"I know it sounds strange, but I did. He's even a nice guy, though he admitted to being a complete stubborn, selfish, greedy jerk."

Everyone was shocked, but not so much as Rita. Was it really possible that her father had changed? Or was it a trick, like when he sent Sir Daniel to the castle?

"That sounds rather surreal." Luna picked up her lute, and began to play a slightly merry tune. "Even though he hated you, did he treat you well?"

"He does not hate us, or at least that's what he told me." Lincoln rose again, and faced his sisters. "From what he told me, as soon as he heard of Lori's birth, he was glad to know he had a granddaughter, but pride and stubbornness took over. I looked into his eyes, and what I saw was a man who was defeated and filled with regrets. The good side is that he will do something to redeem himself."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, a bit lost in the conversation.

"He sent messenger birds through the whole kingdom, inviting all his subjects and summoning all the houses of the nobility to appear in Lincoln in seven days, for an important proclamation."

"Lincoln, do not tell me he's going to..." Lori could hardly believe her ears.

"Yes, Lori, he will tell the truth. In seven days' time, everyone on the kingdom will know what has really happened, and we'll can walk proudly among the people of Silent Valley."

The princesses became hysterical, and started jumping around the inn. Even Bobby seemed to wake up to hear the good news. Everyone approached for a long group hug.

The only person who did not look happy was Rita.

She was totally petrified, still processing what happened. She had already given up on reconciling with her father, but now it seemed she could finally meet her father again. She would finally have a chance to hug him, to receive love, to hear him beg for forgiveness, and, above all, to get a chance to stick a dagger in his throat.

" _After confessing his crimes, I'll make him pay for everything!"_ She thought, as she joined the group hug. _"He will not get away easily._ _I'll guarantee that!"_

 _._

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

.

It's been two days since Lincoln went to call his family, and Lady Ronnie received a hawk with a message from her fiancé. In the message, he made it clear that there were still certain things to be resolved, but that he and his mother would attend for the proclamation of King Albert.

Although happy with the message, she was experiencing a period of great boredom.

She, Rocky, and Lana have been with King Albert in the throne room since they arrived. Behind the war room was a modest room where the king slept, while the three took turns to maintain constant vigilance. From time to time, one of them would go to the kitchen to get a meal for four. For safety, Lana ate first, since certain poisons would only make her vomit because of her organism (of course that part the king did not know).

After three days in the same room, Lady Ronnie and her squires ended up getting to know the old king better. In fact, even the knight was beginning to trust the king again. As they watched the monarch, he recounted some of the things he went through for so many years. In particular, some stories about the young Princess Rita, and how he ended up hurting his daughter with his selfish decisions.

Despite being less intimidated by her grandfather, Lana could not help but think he suspected something. The old king seemed to look at her often, then look away as she looked at him.

"Your Highness, may I ask you something?" Lana said shyly.

"Sure, young lady." Albert replied, a little embarrassed. "What would you like to know?"

"I could not help noticing that you look at me in a strange way. I've did something wrong?"

The king blushed, and tried to find a good answer to give the girl.

"It's not like you did anything, Lana. It's my old eyes betraying me."

"What do you mean?" Lana was confused, but at the same time she was afraid of being discovered.

"When I look at you, it's as if I'm seeing my young Rita when she was still happy to see me."

"You... you really think I..."

"Sorry if I embarrassed you, but I really can not stop thinking about my daughter. It's probably just my wish to see her again, making a bad joke with my mind."

"A-actually..."

BLAM!

The king and his bodyguards looked at the door in surprise.

Covered with blood and with her left arm broken, Lady Danielle entered the throne room, panting.

"Your Highness, we have a problem!"

Lady Ronnie immediately ran to help her, while Rocky and Lana closed the door, placing wide boards to lock it.

"Lady Danielle! What happened?" The king asked in agony.

"Sir Thomas and Sir Walter started a rebellion!" The knight answered, catching her breath. "I followed them to an inn outside the city, and listened to their plans before being attacked by a sentry. They have convinced most of the Silent Knights that you are not in a position to govern, and that you can not be in your right mind if you want to allow a dragon to reign over us."

Everyone was shocked.

Although they were watching over the king to ensure that nothing happened, they never expected Sir Thomas to start a full-scale rebellion.

"Lady Ronnie, what shall we do?" Lana asked, quite frightened.

The knight did not know how to respond. With Lady Danielle wounded, this reduced the king's defense to only three, since she could not know who else was on their side. They could try to make a barricade at the door of the throne room, but this would not stop them for long. The only option would be...

"We have to get the king out of here." She answered as she helped Lady Danielle to sit down. "We can not hold them all, so we have to figure out a way to get away from the castle before it's too late. If we have to, we'll have to give our best to get out of this alive." She then looked straight at Lana, and took a more serious tone. "And with best, I mean all we can do."

The squires nodded and then went to put on their armors. Lady Ronnie began to draw an escape route when she heard a loud bang.

"What was this?" Rocky asked.

"I think the gates exploded." Lady Danielle stood up, leaning against the wall. "I had the guards lock the castle, but I figured it would not take long for them to pass. After all, Sir Thomas knows everything about this castle."

"Not everything, my dear." The king said, heading for the war room. "Come with me. I know a way out of the castle without them seeing us."

Lady Ronnie helped her mentor walk, and soon the five of them were inside the war room.

The king told Rocky and Lana to do whatever they could to block the door, and was surprised when they placed the heavy oak table against the wall. He headed for the wall at the back of the room and began to grope through the bricks until one of them sank into the wall, revealing a secret passage.

"There are secret paths in this castle, which are known only by the royal family." He said, lighting a torch. "If we follow here, we'll reach the other side of the castle, where there's another passage leading to the stables."

The knights were amazed at the discovery, and soon followed the king, closing the passage behind them.

As they followed the tight corridor, they could hear various sounds through the castle, indicating that a battle had already begun.

After what seemed an eternity, they came to a wall with some boards, which the king soon began to remove them.

"These boards keep this part of the passage sealed so that it can only be opened from the inside." He said, catching his breath. "Now pay close attention. This door will lead into the main hall of the southeast wing, which leads to the ballroom. We'll have to run to the end of the hall and through the ballroom, and out the other door. It is the fastest route to the other passage."

"Okay, then let's get in position." Lady Danielle said, pulling out her sword.. "Rocky and I covered the rear, while Lady Ronnie and Lana stand beside the king. If anyone comes to you with a sword, attack to kill. It's us or them."

The three nodded to the elder knight's command, and prepared to fight.

As soon as the king opened the secret door, they ran toward the great door at the end of the hall. The hallway was empty, so they did not have to face resistance, and then they opened the door.

ZING!

As they entered the hall, an arrow struck the king's left shoulder.

"You're losing your aim, Walter." Sir Thomas said, smiling.

"I did not have a clear vision until after the door opened." The knight defended himself. "The next one is sure to be lethal."

Lady Ronnie and Lana supported the king, who was already losing blood. Looking around, she noticed about twenty Silent Knights, all with weapons in their hands, that was stained with blood. They clearly were busy.

"How did you know we were coming here?" Lana asked furiously.

"That, my dear, was thanks to me."

Behind the knights came a man in elegant attire, wearing a white wig and almost as much makeup as Lola. He had a evil smile, and looked at the king with pure contempt.

"Lord Roger! How dare you!" Lady Danielle said angrily. "This is an act of betrayal of the highest order."

"Betrayal? Betrayal is my dear Uncle Albert allow an overgrown salamander to sit on the throne after all that has occurred in that kingdom." Lord Roger looked at her scornfully as he approached. "No, that will never happen. This kingdom will have the king that deserves, and this king is me!"

"And do you really think the kingdom will follow a coward who attacked his own uncle?" Lady Ronnie said, trying to think in a escape route.

"Me, attacking my uncle?" He said mockingly. "I do not think you see clearly. I'm not even here. The castle is under the influence of dragon magic, causing everyone to attack each other. Tomorrow, the news will spread throughout the kingdom, and I will be here to take my place as the rightful king."

They were shocked and disgusted by the Lord's audacity. He was not only leading a coup, but also intended to blame the dragons for it. While Lady Ronnie felt a strong desire to slash him, Lana tried hard to not transforming right there.

"Do you really think this will work?" Lady Danielle said in a defiant tone. "No one will believe that."

"The history is written by the victors." Sir Thomas said, folding his arms. "And if you have not noticed, we are the victors."

Lady Ronnie did not want to admit it, but there was nothing they could do. They were outnumbered, apart from the fact that the king was injured. No matter how much the knight thought, she could not imagine a way out of this.

Lady Danielle was on the edge. She gave her best to cleanse the name of her family after her father became the most hated man in the kingdom, even though he had done so to protect the king's reputation. After so many years, it seemed that the truth would finally be revealed, and now everything seemed lost.

Rocky was scared. Not afraid to die, but rather, afraid to be without Lucy. Despite the uncomfortable advances of the princess, he was really enjoying her. Perhaps he was even responding to the famous link that the Loud family had already explained to him.

Lana was desperate, even hyperventilating. She was holding her grandfather, and she was a few feet from the window. Even though she could save her grandfather's life by transforming and jumping out of the window, she could not leave the others behind. Everything seemed lost, and...

" _That smell..."_

Suddenly, she stopped shaking, and began to smile. She stood up and looked at the knights boldly.

"Sorry to report, but you did not win. In fact, you are about to be humiliated."

Lord Roger and the mutineers began to laugh.

"Do you really think so, squire? And what makes you think that?" Lord Roger laughed.

"To begin with, I would speak with more respect if I were you. I'm not just a simple squire."

"Really? And who are you?"

"I'm Lana Loud, Princess of Dragon Domain!" Lana transformed into her dragon form, opening her little wings to protect her companions. "And I will not let any of you hurt my grandfather."

Everyone was shocked by Lana, but not so much as Albert. Now he understood why she looked so much like Rita when she was young.

Despite having a blue dragon in front of them, the knights were not intimidated. She was still only one, besides being young and small.

"Well, that's really impressive." Sir Thomas stepped forward and faced Lana. "And you really think you can with all of us, little princess?"

"No, of course not." She said, smiling. "But my sister can."

BOOOOM!

They all turned, and from the hallway behind Lord Roger's knights a huge black dragon appeared among the wreckage of the door. As she entered, the dragon began to set fire to the ballroom.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Lana turned and grabbed her companions, throwing herself against the window. She felt a little pain, but ignored the sensation, focusing on pulling them away.

As soon as she touched the ground, she soon came upon a carriage, and put the others there, taking care to not worsen her grandfather's situation.

"What the hell was that?" Lady Danielle asked, still amazed.

"My sister Lucy." Lana answered, tying the harness around her waist. "When we were in the ballroom, I smelled her on the other side of the door. I do not know what she was doing here, but thanks to the heavens she appeared."

"I have an idea why she was here." Lady Ronnie said, looking at Rocky. "What are you going to do, Lana?"

"I'm going to pull the carriage until we're in a safe place." She said, starting to run, as fast as a horse. "Lucy is not the fighting type, so she's going to make a mess and then she'll meet us later."

Lana raced through the city streets, while the others stood alert, trying to keep the king conscious. Due to the great noise of the rebellion the citizens were hiding in their houses, but still there were some who dared to look out the windows, being surprised to see the carriage pulled by the horse-sized dragon girl.

After a few minutes, they passed through the city gates, and once in open space, Lana could run even faster, even causing dizziness to the passengers of the carriage. Soon, they reached the Draco River, and entered the dense forest of Dragon Domain.

As soon as they felt safe, they stopped to rest.

"How's he doing?" Lana asked as she paused for breath.

"He passed out, but he's still breathing." Lady Ronnie said, holding the king. "He's already lost a lot of blood, and if we do not do something soon, he might die."

"I can do something."

They all turned, and they came upon a naked human Lucy behind them.

"Who are you?" Lady Danielle waved her sword, ready to fight.

"Calm down, Lady Danielle. She is Lana's sister, Princess Lucy." Lady Ronnie said, gently laying the king down. "What can you do for him, Lucy?"

"I know a little healing magic. I'm not really good at this like Lori or Leni, but it should be enough until we get home."

Despite Lady Danielle's mistrust, Lucy laid her hands on the old king's wound, and with a single tug removed the arrow, at the same time as it cauterized the wound. The king only moved, too wounded to wake up, while the others were impressed by the princess's skill.

"Very well Lucy!" Lana exclaimed excitedly. "What do we do now?"

"Now you're going back to your human form and getting into the carriage." Lucy assumed an authoritative tone as she turned back into a dragon. "I may be an adult dragon, but I'm not as strong as Lincoln or Lynn, so you need to reduce weight."

Lana followed her sister's advice, returning to human form. Lady Ronnie gave her her cape for the girl to cover, while Lucy grabbed the carriage and took off.

"What are we going to do now?" Lady Danielle asked, clearly concerned. "We can not just allow Lord Roger to take over the kingdom."

"Well, he will not rule anything, I can guarantee that." Lucy said as she accelerated. "Actually, I almost feel sorry for him."

"Sorry? Why?" Lady Ronnie asked, clearly confused.

"As soon as we tell him what happened, Lincoln will be furious." Lana shivered at the thought of her brother. "And you can be sure, when he gets mad, it's for real."

Lady Ronnie began to worry about Lana and Lucy's words.

Was the sweet and kind Lincoln capable of being a scary monster?

" _Well, I think I'm about to find out."_ She thought as they headed toward the Loud house.


	16. All Hail The King Pt3-Family Matters

Lincoln Loud is the happiest man in the world.

Sitting in an armchair in the library and dressed in his robe, he reads one of his favorite novels, with a goofy smile on his face. A serene atmosphere takes over the room with the sun setting, leaving everything with beautiful orange shades.

Three days ago, he told his family about his meeting with his grandfather, which caused great joy in the family. Besides, almost a week ago he got engaged to a strong, independent woman he loves deeply, even though she tried to kill him twice. With her at his side, he realized that unify two kingdoms would not be as monotonous and exhausting as he thought. He would do anything for her, and if anyone dared to hurt her, would feel the dragon prince's fury.

He remains entertained until he hears a loud noise, clearly the sound of the front door being flung open.

He runs to the entrance of the house, where he sees his sisters surrounding Lucy, Lana, Lady Ronnie, Rocky and a woman he does not know. And lying on the floor...

"Lucy! What happened?" He shouted, his eyes turning red.

Everyone looked at him, apprehensive. They knew it was inevitable, they had to tell the prince what had happened.

"Lincoln, our grandfather was betrayed." Lana looked straight into his eyes, deep fear on her face. "If it was not for Lucy, we'd be dead now."

Lincoln froze. Everyone looked at him, clearly worried about the prince's reaction. Realizing that his attitude would be the difference between calm and panic, he sighed and struggled to take a passive expression.

"Well, do not stand there, take him to one of the guest rooms. Leni, I want you and Lisa to do whatever you can to save him, no matter if you need to fly to the other side of the ridge to prepare a medicine. Luna, Luan, Lola and Lily, you should help the others take off their armors, take a bath and rest. Lana, I want you to come to the library as soon as you're done, and Lynn, you're coming with me."

Everyone was uncomfortable with the prince's attitude, which was clearly fake. However, none of them wanted to be around when he released his true feelings.

Everyone followed his instructions, while Lynn followed him to the library. As soon as they entered, he sat down in an armchair and indicated the other to her.

"So, what do you want to talk to me?"

"Lynn, I'll be straight." He looked at her earnestly, hatred reflected in his eyes. "How many dragons exactly did you manage to recruit for the royal guard?"

"Well, counting on me, there are five of us. Why the question?" Lynn already imagined what her brother wanted, but she hoped it was not what she thought.

"Let's talk to Lana, and after that, you'll call them. Silent Valley will probably need to undergo a new Fury."

" _Dang it!"_ Lynn's fear was confirmed. Her brother is gone. The monster emerged.

* * *

.

* * *

"Lana, can you explain why you're so afraid of Lincoln?" Lady Ronnie asked, rubbing the princess's back.

Following Lincoln's command, the three knights were sharing the larger bathtub, while Lucy and Rocky shared one of the smaller ones (she would not leave her lover alone with other women).

"Well, it's not that I'm afraid of him, but of when he gets angry." Lana rubbed her hair as she looked down. "Lincoln is the nicest guy in the world, and it's really hard to piss him off. But when he gets angry, the last place you'll want to be is near him."

"I can not imagine Lincoln being furious." Lady Ronnie was apprehensive, remembering everything he had done for her. "Since we met, he's done everything to make me happy."

"But that's the point." Lucy drew their attention to the other tub, where she was resting her face on Rocky's chest. "Lincoln is a lovely person unless you infuriate him. Years ago, Lynn went through a rebellious phase, and was being very rude to everyone, including our mother. One day, she went too far and said she would rather have another mother, and ended up pushing our mother out of the window."

"She did what?" Lady Ronnie was shocked. She did not think the disciplined captain of the guard could do anything like that.

"It was an accident, and she really felt guilty afterward. The problem was that Lincoln was entering her room at that time, and saw the scene. He threw himself at Lynn and the two of them went out the window. Before she could get up, Lincoln transformed into dragon and began to attack her brutally. If it had not been for Lori, Leni, and Luna, who separated the two, he would probably have killed Lynn in his fit of fury."

Lady Ronnie was speechless. Not that she had been scared of her fiancé, but she realized that even though he was much stronger and more dangerous, he also had fits of rage, just like her. In fact, if she saw someone throw her mother out the window, she would be furious, too.

"Wait, I thought your mother was alive." Lady Danielle broke the silence as she wrapped herself in a towel.

"Yeah, she's alive." Lana explained as she began wiping herself with a towel. "Our mother is not like normal women, besides the window was not too tall."

"The main point is Lincoln's attitude." Lucy stretched as Rocky rubbed the princess's back. "This is just the most alarming case, but not the only one. Whenever someone, even one of us, hurts someone in our family, he becomes a completely different person. He's probably discussing battle strategies with Lynn, until Lana arrives and tells him what happened."

"By the way, I think I'd better go." Lana smiled nervously. "I know he's not mad at me, but it's still not good to keep him waiting when he gets this way."

"Then I'd better go with you." Lady Ronnie got up, and picked up a towel. "I promised I'd take care of your grandfather, and I can not help feeling responsible."

"I'm going to go to that guest room where the king is." Lady Danielle looked sad. "The least I can do is stand by him."

"And you two, what are you going to do?" Lana looked directly at Lucy and Rocky, whose looked suspiciously at each other.

"You've heard our Prince Regent. We must rest." Lucy smirked mischievosly as she sat on Rocky's lap. "And I think I've find something very soft to rest on, though it will not stay soft for long."

She blinked with one eye as the three knights blushed at the princess's depravity, and they hurried out of the bathroom.

"I'd better leave the jokes to Luan. No one seems to notice when I'm joking."

Surprisingly, Rocky grabbed her by the waist, and his mouth approached the princess's ear.

"Are you sure it was just a joke?" He pretended to be hurt, and kissed her neck. "I think after today, you really deserve a good reward for saving the king."

"And what does the brave knight have in mind?" Lucy was already filled with lust.

"In my mind I have only one thing: you!"

* * *

.

* * *

Lady Ronnie entered the library with Lana, and what she saw left her in doubt.

Lincoln was sitting in an armchair with his eyes closed. Lynn was sitting in another chair, clearly frightened. As soon as she and Lana closed the door, Lincoln opened his eyes, which were as red as when he was in his dragon form.

"I'm sorry for bringing you here when you clearly should be resting, but I really need to know what happened in Silent Valley after I left."

Despite the intimidating appearance and harsh voice, it was possible to see that he was really worried about them, even though the anger was speaking louder.

They sat next to Lynn, and then prepared to tell the events of the last days.

Lincoln seemed to calm himself a little when he heard that Albert seemed get along with Lana, and that he saw the resemblance between her and her mother. When they told about the attack, he seemed to be furious again, especially when they talked about Lord Roger's ambush.

"... and then Lucy brought us here, and when we came in, our sisters surrounded us and asked a lot of questions at the same time, until you arrived."

Lincoln was thoughtful as he thought of every aspect of Lana's story. After a while, he smiled and opened his eyes, which were green again.

"Thank you, Lana. Now, you two must rest, while Lynn and I discuss the trap."

"Trap? "The three girls said together, clearly confused.

"I thought you wanted to attack the castle." Lynn exclaimed, though she was relieved that her brother had recovered his mind.

"Wait, were you going to attack the castle?" For the first time, Lady Ronnie was worried about Lincoln's temper. "Why?"

"Well, I admit it's an extreme idea, but understand that it's a calculated measure. If I attack only the castle, I will show the people that I do not let my emotions speak louder than the kingdom's welfare. But this is not necessary, since we are at an advantage."

"No offense big bro, but I think we're at a complete disadvantage." Lana rubbed her butt as she assumed a thoughtful expression. "Lord Roger has the Silent Knights on his side, in addition to being outnumbered and our grandfather wounded."

"You do not offend me at all, Lana, but you have to remember that with the exception of maybe Lisa, I'm the smartest in the family."

"Again this talk of "prince with a plan"? I do not see how you can set a trap for them."

"Think about it, Lana. Where do they think you went?"

After a little silence, the princess was shocked by her own naivety.

"The castle! They will go to our castle!"

"Right! They'll think we're at Dragon Domain's Castle, and that's where they go. Considering the distance between Lincoln and the castle, and the time they can take to prepare everything, they must arrive there the day after tomorrow, around dawn."

"Wait, do you really think they will come to Dragon Domain?" Lady Ronnie was surprised at Lincoln's reasoning.

"Even you, Ronnie?" Lincoln was disappointed that his fiancée did not understand his plan. "They need to come here. In four days, a royal proclamation will be made, and they can not cancel the proclamation without the signature of the king and the royal seal. Even if they try to falsify the signature and seal, it does not change the fact that our grandfather could have survived, which makes it possible for him to return, just when all the nobility of the kingdom is assembled for such a proclamation or to discuss the king's death. One way or another, Lord Roger knows he can not go on without guaranteeing our grandfather's death."

"It really does make sense. But how does this help us? He can not be so dumb as to invade the castle." Lynn tried to make a little more effort, but she still did not understand her brother's plan.

"He clearly has a huge ego, and that will be his downfall." Lincoln crossed his arms and began to smile broadly. "As far as he knows, Sir Daniel's sneak attack was highly effective, even though we survived. He's going to send all the soldiers and Silent Knights available, maybe even the squires, leaving as little as possible in Lincoln to make sure we do not try to retake the castle. So I intend to set a trap in our castle before they arrive."

"Still, we have no chance." Lynn folded her arms, and took an authoritative tone. "Our royal guard consists of me and four other girls, not to mention that the three guards at the castle are so old that they faint when they return to human form. How do you intend to win an entire army with only eight dragons?"

"For starters, it's nine dragons. I will be with you. Besides, I have my secret weapon." Lincoln got up and headed for the door. "Call your guard and tell them to meet me at the castle tomorrow morning. We have much to prepare, so the rule that only family members can enter the castle will have to be ignored for now. If you'll excuse me, I'll see how our grandfather is."

* * *

.

* * *

In the guest room, Albert sleeps heavily, while Lady Danielle sits on a chair beside him. Feeling ashamed to wear her armor after the betrayal of the other knights, she willingly agreed to put on a silk nightdress that Leni had given her. Although a little uncomfortable for being in the home of the royal family of Dragon Domain, she could not help sympathizing with the princess. After some time, Leni went to check the dinner, and left the knight alone with the king.

The knight then begins to reflect on the last fifteen years. She was happy with her life, having just become the youngest Silent Knight, at least until her own pupil broke her record. She was proud of her father being sent to Dragon Domain, until the Fury. The violent onslaught of the dragons seemed to be the worst part, but then, when her father and the other survivors came back, came the revelation that they had been responsible for all that. She was devastated, but not so much as after her father was exiled, when she was summoned to the throne room to bid him farewell.

"How's he doing?"

The knight was frightened, and turned to see the famous prince lined up against the door. She then left the chair and knelt before Lincoln.

"Your Highness, I am sorry that I have failed with your family. If it were not for your sisters, the king would be dead now."

Lincoln stepped forward and gestured for her to get up. Looking straight into her eyes, he could not help but be intrigued.

"I believe I have seen you before. Did you usually teach at the Academy?"

The knight was confused, but she tried to respond.

"Yes, I used to teach until a few years ago when I was assigned to look after the castle. In fact, Lady Ronnie was my best student."

"I knew I knew you from somewhere. And what's your name again?"

"I am Lady Danielle Doyle, Your Highness."

Lincoln's eyes widened.

The knight felt uncomfortable with the prince's gaze, already imagining what was going on in his head.

Lincoln closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"So you are..."

"Yes, I'm his daughter."

She expected the prince to attack her or to decree her death. Instead, he started to laugh.

"Just one more thing. Do you..."

"Do I know the truth? Yes. My father told me before he was exiled."

"Wait, what?" Lincoln was perplexed. He did not expect that answer. "And even knowing the truth, you still risked your life in the name of my grandfather?"

"It's a bit complicated, but yes. Before being exiled, my father received permission from the king to tell me what had really happened. He told me that despite appearing strong, King Albert was suffering a lot, and that the guilt for the Fury would corrode him for years to come. He made me swear that, no matter how, I would serve the king and try to protect him from himself."

"I have to admit, this is a sign of great dedication." Lincoln put his hand on the knight's shoulder, and looked straight into her eyes. "You should not blame yourself. You could not avoid the rebellion of the other knights, but if you want to do something about it, you can help me plan the counterattack. What do you say?"

"With all respect, Your Highness, that is a stupid question. I have sworn to serve the kingdom and the royal family, so of course I will help in whatever I can."

"I am grateful for your loyalty, Lady Danielle. Please rest, for planning will take place early tomorrow. I will not let this betrayal go unpunished."

* * *

.

* * *

Albert started to wake up. Looking around, he realized he was in an unknown location. It was a room with little decoration, lit by the dim light that passed through a crack in the curtain.

He tried to sit down, feeling a lot of pain in the process. It was then that he realized that his left arm was totally immobilized by bandages. Looking closely, he realized that someone was lying on the floor. He tried to get a better look, and recognized the young Lana.

" _Even after all I've done, she defended me."_

He reached for her with his good arm, and tried to wake her.

As soon as she opened her eyes and saw her grandfather, Lana jumped up and hugged him.

"Grandpa! You woke up!"

She surprised the old king with her gesture, but then she remembered that she was not yet certain that her grandfather did not hate her.

"I-I m-mean..."

This time the king embraced her, almost making her cry with emotion.

"So that's why I thought you were familiar." He broke the hug, and put his hand on the girl's face. "You're not just alike, you're just like your mother when she were a teenager, if not prettier."

"T-thank you." She started to blush, and stared down uncomfortably. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, but I think I can survive this. Where we are?"

"Oh, this is our house. It is right on the edge of the ridge, facing a lake. Our father built part of the house inside the mountain, so it's the safest place in Dragon Domain."

"Fantastic. But how did we get here? The last thing I remember is a black dragon bursting into the ballroom door, and then you picked us up and threw yourself against the window."

"That was my big sister, Lucy. She met us shortly after, and brought us here. I do not want to think about what would have happened if she had not come to save us."

The king sighed deeply, and looked down.

"Lana, I do not know what to say. Even after everything I did, you still saved my life."

"Do not worry about it. We are a family, and a family protects each other."

Albert hugged her again, and they stayed like that for a while.

"Do you want to... meet the others?" Lana asked, a little unsure.

"Do they really want to meet me?"

"Well, I think we're going to have to find out." She smiled and stood up, holding out her hand to him. "I know that at least I really want to know you better."

Albert smiled and took his granddaughter's hand, which helped him to stand. She stood beside him in case he needed support to walk, and led him out of the room.

They wandered around the house until they reached the library, where Rocky and seven girls stared surprised the newcomers.

The room remained silent, without anyone daring to blink.

Albert looked at the girls attentively. There were three blond girls, just like Lana, and three brunettes and one with black hair. One of them was wearing a simple turquoise dress, while the girl next to her looked like an exact copy of Lana and wore a scandalous and exaggerated pink dress, as if she was going to a ball. One of the girls had freckles just like Lincoln, and she was dressed as a kind of somber bard, with a lute decorated with skulls. Next to her was a girl dressed as a jester, who judging by the balls in her hands was juggling before he entered. The black-haired girl was sitting on the floor and dressed as if she lived in the woods, despite having her hair in good condition. Behind her was Rocky, whose hands were massaging the girl's shoulders. On the floor were the ones that looked like the younger ones, a blond girl in a lavender dress and a smaller girl dressed in a green tunic and wearing glasses.

"Hey, guys! Guess who woke up!" Lana exclaimed, trying to break the ice.

She helped their grandfather sit in an armchair, and stood beside him, waiting for her sisters to react.

Although the room was completely silent, the princesses began to look at each other, completely indecisive.

Until Albert saw the chance to start a conversation.

"I'm happy to finally meet you all. But tell me, which one of you is Lucy?"

The princesses grew even more uneasy, while Rocky looked worriedly at Lucy. She simply stood up and looked straight at the old king.

"I 'm Lucy." She spoke in a seemingly monotonous tone, but in fact she was nervous.

"Lucy, Lana told me how you saved us, and I really want to thank you for that. If it was not for you, the five of us would have died."

"You do not have to thank me." She blushed, and tried to look away. "But you really need to thank Leni and Lisa. It was they who took care of your hemorrhage."

As soon as she spoke, the two princesses blushed. Albert realized that he was not going anywhere, so he decided to be bolder.

"Listen girls, I know I was not the best grandfather in the world, but your brother's visit ended up serving as a push to get me on the right track. I really want this to work, so let me start over. Hi, I'm Albert, you stupid grandfather. What are your names?"

They looked at him, a little less insecure. One by one, they began to introduce themselves.

"I am Leni, the second oldest."

"I'm Lola, the most gracious of all."

"I'm Luan, the funny one."

"I am Luna, the best bard in the kingdom."

"I'm Lisa, the smartest around here."

Relieved after introducing themselves, they all looked at Lily, who was still nervous.

"And you, little one? What is your name?" Albert looked at her gently, trying to make her more comfortable.

"L-Lily. I-I'm Lily, the youngest."

"Girls, I know I have not been good to you all these years, but I really want to try. I only ask for a chance to prove that I have changed for better."

The princesses looked at each other, then at Lana, who was smiling. Lana nodded, and then they all ran and hugged their grandfather.

Surprised at the sudden group hug, Albert began to feel a growing joy in his heart. After all these years, he would finally have a chance to make amends with his family. And this time, he would do everything possible to not disappoint them.

"Kids, may we have a moment alone?"

They all turned and saw Rita at the door with a serious stare. Knowing their mother well, the princesses left the library, while Lucy pulled Rocky by the arm.

As they left, Rita closed the door, and dragged an armchair to sit in front of the old king.

They just stared at each other for a while. Albert did not know what to say to his daughter, while Rita looked at him with total contempt. The growing tension in the room seemed to be leaving the air heavy as the king began to sweat. Suddenly, Rita started to cry, and she hugged her father. Albert was completely unresponsive as he heard his daughter sobbing, and then he put his arm over her. Before could hug her, she stepped away from him, and began to wipe her eyes.

"Dad, I still do not think I can forgive you. In fact, when Lincoln said you wanted me to go to the castle, the first thing that crossed my mind was killing you. I can not do that, but I do not know if I can forgive you either."

"Rita, I..."

"Let me finish! My children are everything to me, and I will not let anyone hurt them, especially you. They are willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself, but if you hurt them, may the heavens have pity on your soul, because I will not have."

Rita left the library, leaving Albert staring at the floor, absorbed in guilt.

Shortly after she left, the princesses returned, with the exception of Lucy. They surrounded the old king, looking worriedly at him.

"Are you all right, Grandpa?" Lana asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry girls. Your mother just wanted to make it clear that I should not hurt your feelings again. Honestly, I think she was too nice to me."

The princesses smiled slightly, and decided to try to cheer him up.

"Do you want something to eat?" Lily asked, still a little shy. "We've had breakfast some time ago, but there's food left at the kitchen."

"I think I'll take your offer." Albert hit his belly with his hand, but then he remembered something else. "Wait, Lincoln told me you're eleven. Where are the others?"

"Well, that's a bit complicated." Luna scratched her head, thinking the right words. "Lori does not live here anymore, so she's at her house with her husband. And Lincoln and Lynn it's organizing a counterattack, making a kind of trap."

"Oh, so you have another brother? I look forward to meeting him." Albert smiled, wondering what his other grandson would look like.

However, all the girls began to laugh.

"What's it? What I said?"

"Haha, Lynn is not our brother, she's our sister." Lana responded with laughter.

"Oh I see. Well, she must be a very special young woman if she's helping her brother get ready for battle."

"You can bet on it!" Lana exclaimed, but then she got discouraged. "Unfortunately, they did not let me in, but it looks like it's going to be epic."

They left the library and went into the dining room, where they spent time telling more about their lives to their grandfather, who was more than willing to listen.

Meanwhile, a large march of more than two hundred soldiers and forty Silent Knights follows the main road to the castle of Dragon Domain. Ahead of them, three men on riding horses evaluated their progress.

"How much longer to get there, Sir Thomas?" Lord Roger asked impatiently.

"If we continue like this, we must reach at the end of the day." Sir Thomas pulled out a spyglass, and looked up at the sky. "No sign of dragons yet, so we must suppose that they are gathering in the castle."

"I do not like that." Sir Walter looked worried everywhere. "Even if we have an army, we have no idea how many dragons will be there."

"Do not underestimate my brilliance, Sir Walter." Lord Roger assumed an arrogant tone. "I'm smarter than those infernal beasts. They clearly do not expect us to dare attack the castle, even more so soon. We must make sure that my uncle and his beast heirs are dead, so that I can make Silent Valley great again."

"You seem to be sure of the victory already."

"That's what I said, Sir Walter. Whoever has the element of surprise will be the winner."


	17. All Hail The King Pt4-Prince With A Plan

A new day breaks in Dragon Domain. Despite the sunshine and the beautiful landscape, everything remains silent.

There are no birds singing, no animals walking through the forest.

Everyone seems to be anticipating the terrible battle to come.

Inside the forest, near the castle of Dragon Domain, a sloppy camp is starting to prepare to march against the castle. Considering the tight space and uneven terrain, it's not hard to imagine that they did not rest well, plus the effort they made to get to Dragon Domain so quickly.

In a tent, in the only flat part of the camp, Lord Roger reviews the attack plan with Sir Thomas and Sir Walter. The lord wants at all costs to guarantee that he is the sole heir of his uncle, and if it is necessary to kill all other heirs, so be it. Suddenly a knight enters the tent in alarm.

"Lord Roger, we found this stuck in a tree."

The knight held out his hand, revealing an arrow with a small roll of parchment wrapped around it.

Roger took the arrow, and dismissed the knight. He unrolled the message, and was furious with what he read, throwing the message on the ground. Intrigued, Sir Thomas took the message, and was surprised by what he read.

* * *

 _Dear Lord Roger,_

 _You and your men are invading sovereign territory of Dragon Domain, in clear violation of the law instituted by my sister Lori._ _In the name of our kinship I will give you until the end of the day to retreat, or I will be forced to attack them._

 _Sincerely, Lincoln Loud, Prince Regent of Dragon Domain_

* * *

"How dare this beast give me an order?" Lord Roger raged, almost frothing through his mouth. "And even worse, he says he's being merciful to me for "our kinship"!"

"Actually, this is worse than it seems." Sir Thomas was serious, trying to stay focused.

"What?"

"Sir, this message makes it clear that he knows our position. They could have attacked us during the night, but they preferred to leave a message. Our strategy depended on the element of surprise, something we clearly missed."

Roger sat up, shocked. Sir Thomas was right, the dragons were at an advantage. Unless...

"Do not be fooled, Sir Thomas." Lord Roger was confident, and went to put on his armor. "Those beasts are clearly at a disadvantage if they choose to throw an arrow. The proud dragons always sent mighty messengers. Do not you think it's strange to send a message in the middle of the night?"

"He's right about that, Thomas." Sir Walter began to scratch his chin, thinking deeply. "In all those years, I have never seen a message from the beasts royalty be given otherwise. They really like to look mighty and majestic."

"Exactly, Sir Walter! That arrogant salamander is clearly trapped in his old castle, taking care of my uncle's wounds."

"What makes you so sure your uncle is still alive?" Sir Thomas crossed his arms, and looked straight at the lord. "Considering his age and the distance between the two castles, I find it hard to believe they could do anything to save him."

"Just the fact that we are here is proof that he is alive. Think about it, Sir Thomas. We came by the direct route between our kingdom and theirs, and no dragon passed through us. If my uncle had died, that salamander would have used it as an excuse to attack our kingdom. If he did not attack us then it means that my uncle is still alive, and it is only a matter of time before they take him back to the kingdom to announce that the salamander is his heir."

Sir Thomas thought of Lord Roger's words, and realized that he was right. Still, in the case of dragons, all care was little.

"What shall we do then?"

"Go with the plan. Have the Silent Knights and the soldiers feed themselves well, for before noon we will attack the castle."

* * *

.

* * *

Leaning against the edge of the outer wall, Lady Ronnie watches the surroundings, still impressed by the castle of Dragon Domain.

Not only was it much bigger, but it also seemed to be in a better state, obviously thanks to the reform after the Fury. Unlike the castle in Lincoln, which was right in the middle of the city, the immense castle was located in the center of a lake, surrounded by more than one hundred feet of water. Obviously, it had been erected for dragons, since only way to enter the castle would be by boats or flying to the wide rock deck in front of the immense gate. On the other side was a small pier in a bad state with no boat in it, clearly showing that humans were no longer welcome.

"Are you enjoying the visit?" Lana asked, proud of her castle.

Lana was radiant, and very excited to wear one of the royal armor's golden armor. After much insistence, Lady Ronnie had convinced Lincoln to let Lana join the battle. Even though he did not want his little sister in danger, he had to give in to his lover's request. For Lady Ronnie, it was more than fair for Lana to take part in the battle, since she had accompanied her from the beginning of her journey.

"This place is huge. I can not imagine what it must have been like for your older sisters to stop living here and going to live in the cottage."

"Well, I was still a baby when we left, so I can not say I miss it." Lana sat on the wall, and looked toward the cottage's direction. "Lola always says she's waiting for the day we're going to live in the castle again, but I like our simple life in the cottage. Who knows? Maybe I'll still live there after you get married."

"You really do not like the idea of being treated like a princess, do you?"

"What can I say? That's how I am." Lana shrugged.

"If you're done, our Prince Regent wants to talk to us."

Behind them was a bucktoothed girl a little older than Lady Ronnie, with light brown hair and freckles, and wearing golden armor.

"Do not worry, Margo. We're going." Lana came down from the wall, and stretched her arms. "Looks like we'll finally have some action here."

Lady Ronnie just smiled, and followed the tomboy princess through the castle.

After walking a little by the wide corridors, they arrived at the war room, where Lincoln had already gathered the others.

Lincoln was wearing his armor, and was leaning over the table, making some markings on the map Lisa had made for him. On the side of the Prince Regent was his sister Lynn, her armor of captain of the guard being the only one as impressive as that of Lincoln.

Gathered on the other side were Margo and three other girls, a redhead, a brunette, and a girl with dark skin and black hair. They all wore the standard armor of the royal guard, just like Lana.

Also in the room were three men who appeared to have passed their sixties, the only ones who were not wearing armor, since they could not take the weight. They were the guards responsible for guarding the castle, and they were not very pleased with the Prince Regent's attitude, allowing people to enter the castle before he was crowned.

Leaning against the wall was Lady Danielle, the only one besides Lady Ronnie to wear silver armor. The knight looked a little uneasy in that room, but she was still attentive to everything.

The only person who really did not seem to belong to that place was young Lisa, sitting in a chair in the back of the room, reading a book with a dark red cover.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, let's review the plan." Lincoln put his arms behind him and took an authoritative stance. "As I have explained before, Lord Roger is clearly an arrogant idiot, but we should not underestimate him. If he does exactly as I think, around noon he will attack us, taking advantage of the sun being against our eyes."

Lincoln picked up some small oval wooden shapes, and positioned it on the map.

"They'll have to use boats to get here, which means either they brought boats or they're going to cut wood from the forest to improvise rafts, and that's where they'll get their first surprise, thanks to our secret weapon." Lincoln looked at Lisa, who just smiled at him, and went back to reading the book. "If they can get through, they'll go into the lake and try to reach the outer deck and go to the gate, and then we'll need our secret weapon again. I do not know how they will think, but they will only have two choices, move on or go back to the edge. For the fools who try to come here, Lady Ronnie, Lady Danielle, Lana and the elders will be waiting, just like the last surprise."

They all followed Lincoln's explanation as he picked up a small wooden dragon and positioned it on the other side of the lake.

"As soon as we do that they'll panic, and the only option will be to retreat and regroup, and at that time we'll leave the castle and set fire to the trees around them so they have no choice but to take the road. Lynn, you and the royal guard will join me, and together we'll chase them down. Before sunset, they will have been defeated. Any doubt?"

With the exception of Lisa, everyone else was still a bit unsure of the prince's plan. Although known for his intelligence, Lincoln had never led a battle before, and the only thing they knew was when to strike. The only ones who really knew all the details of the plan were Lincoln and Lisa, their fourteen year old secret weapon.

Lincoln dismissed his small army and continued to review the map, making sure he had planned it all.

After everyone left, Lady Ronnie went to her lover, and she hugged him in the back, placing her face against his hair.

"You look cute when you give orders."

"I don't like being bossy, but that's very important."

Lincoln opened his lover's arms and turned, giving her a hug of his own, followed by a long, passionate kiss.

"Thank you." He said, breaking the kiss.

"Thanks for what?" Lady Ronnie was confused, not knowing what she had done.

"For being with me. I do not know if my sisters told you, but I'm not always the most peaceful guy around here."

"Oh, of course. They talked about the "other you"." She took a mocking tone, and winked. "Just do not throw me out a window and we'll be fine."

"Ronnie, I'm serious." Lincoln looked her straight in the eye, almost begging for her acceptance. "I do not usually control myself when I get angry, but just thinking of you, my anger's gone. If I had a fit of rage, I would have killed someone, but instead I managed to stay calm and plan a strategy. All thanks to you."

Lady Ronnie was shocked. She had no idea she had such an influence on Lincoln. Now, she felt a huge responsibility on her shoulders, knowing that she could be the difference between Lincoln being himself or a vengeful monster. She had to do something, and it had to be soon.

"When this is over, we have to have a serious talk."

"Serious talk!?" Lincoln began to panic, imagining that he had done something wrong.

"Do not worry. I just think we should put some rules in our relationship. The way things are going, it seems like everything is going around me, and I do not like it at all."

"All right! We'll do whatever you want." Lincoln hugged her again, making her blush.

"That is not helping."

"Sorry."

* * *

.

* * *

Noon.

Lord Roger was sitting inside his tent, waiting for the men to leave. Even though he was in charge and being the one who most wanted the success of the attack, he would never risk facing dragons. He stood in the forest with six Silent Knights and fifteen soldiers assigned to protect him. He was anxious, already wondering what his first decrees would be as king.

Meanwhile, Sir Thomas and Sir Walter led the army through the territory of Dragon Domain.

It was difficult to move about two hundred armed people by the forest, besides the eight boats and the ropes they brought. Their plan was simple: to tie the long ropes in the boats, so that they could pull the boats to the shore and take more people to the castle. As they approach, they would advance through the castle, attacking whoever they encountered, even if they were not sure if was a dragon.

The key to Lord Roger's plan was to do as his uncle did, and lay the blame on the dragons. Except for those who aided the rebellion, everyone else believed that the king had been bewitched and then abducted. All Lord Roger would have to do was say that the dragons killed the king when they saw that their plan would collapse.

The soldiers were following Sir Thomas's orders without thinking twice, though most of the Silent Knights were still in doubt. Although only a few of them had attended the audience with the king, they still felt that something wrong was going on. Nevertheless, they vowed to defend the kingdom, and would do whatever was necessary to prevent the dragons from going unpunished after hijacking the king.

When the time came, Sir Thomas gave the signal to leave the forest and enter the clearing at the end of the road.

With much speed and precision, those who were carrying the boats went to the pier, preparing the invasion. Due to the position of the sun relative to the mountain, they would catch the dragons at an angle that would make their sight difficult.

Everyone was attentive to their surroundings, in case the dragons appeared. They were almost surprised to see no movement, until they heard screams.

On the shore of the lake, just before the pier, those who were carrying the boats were sinking into the ground, already dipped below the waist. Apparently, the whole edge of the lake was as dangerous as quicksand. The others came to help, but also got stuck in the ground.

After a great effort, they managed to remove the jammed soldiers and catch the boats.

Sir Thomas realized that even with all the noise they made, there was still no sign of reaction from the castle. For a moment he even thought there was no one in the castle, but he remembered Prince Lincoln's message, and was furious.

" _That bastard, son of a bitch."_ He looked around, and he had an idea. "Attention, men! Chop some trees, we need to make a bridge to the pier."

They followed the command, and made an immense effort to chop down a little more than a dozen trees, improvising a platform between the clearing and the pier.

Still, with no response from the castle.

They made their way down the path they built, confidently going to the pier. Quickly, they tied the ropes tightly to the boats, and began to send the first wave of soldiers. In each of the eight boats were two Silent Knights and eight soldiers, who rowed furiously.

When they were halfway there, they saw something rise above the castle outer wall.

A huge red dragon wearing golden armor carried a huge white stone, and, surprisingly, threw the stone into the lake, far from the boats.

The water began to bubble around where the stone had sunk, and before they could think, four other armored dragons, each in different shades of red scales, joined the first, and also threw white stones in the water in different directions. The water began to turn white and bubbling even more, until a thick mist began to form above the water.

Not knowing what to do, most of the boats came back pulling the ropes, while the crew two boats, who were led by young Silent Knights, tried to risk moving on. Before long, the mist covered the entire lake, making the sight of the castle utterly impossible.

Those who went forward reached the deck, and were surprised to see that the mist was only above the water. It was as if a great white wall was surrounding the little island, hiding the castle.

"I know, I also found it impressive."

They looked at the gate, and saw Lady Danielle and Lady Ronnie with swords drawn. Behind them was a small blue dragon in golden armor, holding a warhammer and a battle ax, and three old men in human form, one with a flail, one with a halberd, and one with a wooden staff.

"Lady Ronnie? Lady Danielle? What are you doing here?" One of the Silent Knights asked, puzzled.

"I have not seen you for a long time, Sir Benjamin." Lady Danielle gave him a maternal look, and spoke sweetly. "It's a long story, but you just need to know that we're on the right side. Now, if you could be a sweetie and surrender peacefully, I will not have to fight one of my favorite students."

"Sorry, Lady Danielle, but yourself taught me that our duty comes in first place." Sir Benjamin drew his sword, followed by the soldiers and the other three Silent Knights. "As a Silent Knight of Silent Valley, I must protect the kingdom, even if it means fighting my mentor."

"How cute." The knight approached her apprentice, smiling kindly. "I have to admit Benji, you make me proud with that attitude."

The four knights advanced against Lady Danielle and Lady Ronnie, while the soldiers tried to fight against the blue dragon and the elders.

Although they were at a fourteen-to-one advantage, the soldiers were no match for the blue dragon's strength, which although small seemed to fight as well as a Silent Knight, if not better. Alone, the blue dragon defeated the fourteen soldiers, hitting them on the heads with the hammer or the flat side of the ax.

Each of the elders was fighting against soldiers who were less than half their ages, but still they were fighting hard, and their dragon strength was certainly another advantage.

Lady Ronnie lived up to her reputation as the toughest knight in the kingdom, fighting three of the young Silent Knights. Even if they had trained with her at the Academy, they were never able to even match her. Suddenly she losed her balance, creating an opening, which the three tried to seize at the same time. In fact, she had pretended to lose her balance, and smiled when she saw that the three of them had fallen into her trick. She flipped and with a decisive blow of her sword disarmed the three, who were soon knocked out by a powerful blow of the blue dragon's tail.

"Hey, I had them right where I wanted them!" She raged, leaving the dragon embarrassed.

The only opponent still standing was Sir Benjamin, who was doing his best against the knight who had been his mentor. As much as he wanted to serve the kingdom, he could not help feeling that there was something wrong with this battle. Still, he would not surrender, and he fought very hard.

Lady Danielle did not even seem to be focused on the fight. She seemed to be stuck in the nostalgia of training young Benji, who, like Lady Ronnie, had been one of her greatest and dearest students. However, as much as she wanted to relive cherished memories, she had a duty to keep.

"I'm sorry, Benji." She took a powerful blow with the sword, making it fly away, then kissed him on the forehead. "I hope you will forgive me someday."

She shocked her head on the young knight, making him fall like a stone.

"Well, I guess that ends our part." Lady Danielle bent down and placed Sir Benjamin on her arms, carrying him with her. "Where is the dungeon?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mist, the other boats finally returned.

Sir Thomas was trying to think of a strategy to cross the mist when something like fireworks went up into the sky. Unlike any firework he had ever seen, it seemed to reach above the clouds, and then there was an intense flash.

As the light died, the clouds began to darken. Though it was little past noon, the sky seemed as black as on a stormy night. The army was astonished as Sir Thomas wondered what to do. Before he could do anything, a menacing roar echoed around.

Emerging from the mist majestically, a huge orange dragon in armor came out. Soon afterwards, the red dragons left, with the largest of them in front. They split into two groups, one following the orange dragon and another following the great red dragon. They set fire to the forest, flanking the army. Then they flew low on the ground, creating panic among the troops.

Unable to advance against the castle and unable to escape into the forest, there was only one thing Sir Thomas could do.

"Back off! All the troops, follow the road and retreat to the capital!"

The dragons roared with enthusiasm. Although they were almost as surprised as the enemies, they were excited to win the battle.

All but one.

The orange dragon turned to the other side, flying with maximum speed to the opposite side of where the soldiers had set up camp.

* * *

.

* * *

"That will not remain like this!" One of the young Silent Knights shouted from behind the bars of their cell.

All twenty-four prisoners were together in a cell, which, by its size, had been made to contain even a dragon.

"Do not worry, as soon as the king is able to return to the Silent Valley, you will also return." Lady Danielle said to the prisoners, then got back to the castle courtyard.

The defenders of the castle awaited the return of their Prince Regent, still incredulous with the result.

"I have to admit, that mist is very useful." Lynn was lying on the floor, gazing up at the sky unconcernedly. "Although I'd like to know how long this will last."

At that moment, Lisa entered the courtyard, and sat next to her older sister.

"The mist must remain in the lake until morning. Although not lethal, prolonged exposure may cause effects similar to that of poison ivy."

"I'd already heard about how powerfull dragon magic is, but I never imagined it could be able to even make night come sooner." Lady Danielle stared up at the sky, a little frightened by the power of the Loud family. "Which one of you did this spell?"

"I think there has been a misunderstanding." Lisa looked at Lady Danielle in an offended way. "It was not the dragon magic that saved us, but science."

"Science?" All but Lynn and Lana were intrigued, while the sisters only groaned.

"I created that word, for I think alchemy is always related to mysticism. My science consists of creating various types of formulas and potions, as well as tools that make life easier for people."

"So, all that has happened... it was all you?" Lady Ronnie was shocked. Lincoln said Lisa was intelligent, but she never thought a fourteen year old would do such a feat.

"As a matter of fact, I am, as our dear Prince Regent said, his secret weapon." Lisa let herself be carried away by vanity, taking advantage of the attention she was receiving. "He's the only one of my siblings who really appreciates my talent for innovation, so he's usually with me in my tests. Remembering previous tests, he asked me to prepare certain things, which he brought here. Thanks to my creations, we were able to accomplish the incredible achievement of winning a battle without anyone dying."

"That's quite impressive, but it does not explain everything." Lana approached her sister with a confused face. "How did you manage to prepare it all in one day?"

"Pfft! Please do not be ridiculous." Lisa scoffed, and laughed at her sister. "Not even I can be that good. Let's just say that Lucy is not the only one to have a secret cave, although mine is really a secret."

"So, you have a stock of these things?" Lynn was interested in the conversation, seeing the possibility of more easy wins.

"Well, I still have some of my mist rocks, though they are not that big. However, I no longer have the formula that I used to make quicksand, besides having no more rockets."

"Rocket!? What's a "rocket"?" Lana did not pay any attention to Lisa's invented words, but that caught her eye.

"That's what I used to make the sky get darker. It's like a very long firework, with some fins-like parts to give better stability against the wind. After reaching a certain altitude, the rocket explodes, spreading a formula of dark green coloration in the clouds. One of my few failures, but it was really helpful."

"Failure? How could it have been a failure, if it helped us to win?" Lady Ronnie was indignant, thinking the girl was not enjoying herself.

"I did a little test with Lincoln once. Although it only affected a small area, the intention was to make a formula that would make it rain, but instead, the dispersion of the formula in the clouds only causes a effect similar to the stormy sky."

Everyone was impressed by the high standards of the princess genius. Even if it had not worked out the way she wanted, she had created something that could change the weather, and that was impressive.

"Well, we're still grateful for your innovations." Lynn sat, and looked at her little sister in regret. "From now on, I'm going to try to take what you say more seriously."

"Consider this noted." Lisa smiled at Lynn, but then she noticed something. "Hey, where's Lincoln?"

* * *

.

* * *

"Thomas, what happened?" Lord Roger was shocked. Sir Thomas had returned with the Silent Knights and part of the soldiers.

"It was even worse than the fiasco during the rebellion." Sir Thomas took off his helmet, and began to put things in the saddle of his horse. "A good part of the army retreated by the main road. If we are quick, we will be able to escape through the forest while the dragons chase after them."

"What?" Lord Roger was furious. "We can not retreat! If we do not ensure the death of my uncle..."

"Listen here, you fucking aristocrat!" Sir Thomas lost his temper, and took Lord Roger by the collar. "We are at a disadvantage, we lose our army and we are right in the heart of the enemy territory! If you want to survive this, come with us, or else you can stay here and die !"

Lord Roger lost his arrogance, and got terrified. Looking around, he realized that the other Silent Knights were also taking what they could and sealing the horses. Never in his life he had to fight for himself, and now he had lost any influence he could have over what was left of the army. Outraged, he sealed his horse and prepared to leave with the knights.

They headed north, hoping to reach one of the villages near the mountainside as a wall of fire rose in front of them.

The horses were frightened by the fire, and tried to return, when they saw that they were surrounded by fire.

Surrounded by fire on all sides, the smoke soon began to affect all of them, when suddenly they saw the figure of a huge dragon, landing behind the fire wall. From the flames, a young man with white hair appeared, looking furiously at them.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before any of them could do anything, they began to lose consciousness, falling off the horses.

"Good work, Lucy."

A black dragon emerged from the flames, and with a strong flap of its wings, extinguished the fire.

"It's easier when they're tired or sick." Lucy looked a little unsure, and looked at the fallen knights. "What are we going to do now, Lincoln?"

"We only need Sir Thomas, Sir Walter, and Lord Roger. The others will wake up and be thankful for my mercy." Lincoln took a small parchment from his armor, and placed it in the hand of one of the knights. "If they're smart, they will not be back."

"And... what are you going to do with them?"

"Revenge, Lucy. What else?"


	18. All Hail The King Pt5- Aftermath

The Castle of Dragon Domain is almost silent, finally free from the mist that came the day before. The royal guard is patrolling the territory in search of stray invaders lost in the forest, while their Prince Regent relaxed in the library. The only noise in the castle was the furious screams coming from the dungeon.

"This is an outrage!" Lord Roger was flushed with rage, practically foaming at the mouth. "As a member of the nobility of Silent Valley, I demand to be treated accordingly!"

He felt humiliated by being with mere commoners in a cell of immense size, clearly made for dragons. The only light came from a window at the end of the hallway, and there was a small hole in the ceiling where the food would be sent. At the bottom of the cell was a small room separated from the cell by a green curtain, where there was a hole to "do the necessities."

For someone accustomed to living in luxury, such treatment was insulting. The nobleman demanded to be treated according to the respect he thought he deserved, and he was impatient with the treatment he was receiving.

As soon as he woke up the night before, he discovered that he was in the dungeon of Dragon Domain's Castle, sharing a common cell with Sir Thomas, Sir Walter, four young Silent Knights and a few soldiers. The other prisoners said that they had already received their dinner, so that the nobleman and his accomplices spent all night without eating a crumb. In the morning a basket of bread came down through the hole in the ceiling, and after that they stayed in the cell without seeing a single person until after noon.

Roger was getting restless, and this was making the other prisoners angry.

Though the soldiers were worried, the Silent Knights knew they were safe.

The fact that they were in the dungeon was a sign that Prince Lincoln did not want them dead, besides being fed. From what Sir Benjamin related, Sir Thomas was sure that they would remain prisoners until the king told all the truth to the people, and of course he will name the dragon prince as his heir. Although the old knight was frustrated with the fiasco of the previous day, he had to admit that the prince was treating them better than they would have treated him. Still, he was sure King Albert would want his head when it was over.

When everyone was practically wanting to strangle Lord Roger, they heard the sound of a heavy door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Soon, they saw Prince Lincoln himself clad in his armor, accompanied by a beautiful woman with blond hair, wearing a beautiful blue dress and a crown. Beside them were Lady Ronnie and another Silent Knight, who was wearing a helmet. Although the knights already knew that Lady Danielle and Lady Ronnie were on the side of the dragons, they were surprised to see that there was another Silent Knight with them.

"There they are, just like I said." Lincoln looked at the blond woman, smiling smugly. "I thought you'd like to see him in person."

"Oh, you can bet on that."

"It's about time!" Lord Roger exclaimed angrily. "I demand at once that you give me the due respect a Lord deserves! Besides that..."

"Who's that idiot?" She looked at him scornfully, leaving the Lord offended.

"Just the asshole who started this whole mess." Lincoln answered without even looking at Lord Roger. "Do not waste your time with him, he's not worth it."

Roger was utterly speechless, trying to process what was happening. If they had not come to the dungeon to talk to him, then who did they want to see?

The young woman just kept looking at them, as if trying to identify one of them, until she stared at Sir Thomas.

"It's been a long time, has not it, Sir Thomas?"

"Princess Lori." The knight curtsied, then forced a smile. "I do not think you expected to see me again."

"Quite the opposite. In fact, my husband and I have waited years for this day."

Lori took the mysterious knight's hand, leaving not only Sir Thomas, but everyone in the cell surprised. They could not imagine that the Princess of Dragon Domain would marry a Silent Knight, but looking closely, they realized that just like Lady Ronnie, he wore a cape with a coat of arms, indicating that he was from a noble family. In fact, if they could see the knight's back, they would see that it was the same coat of arms as Lady Ronnie's.

Dropping his wife's hand, the mysterious knight slowly removed his helmet. As soon as his face was exposed, the prisoners were confused, except for Sir Thomas and Sir Walter, who were petrified with astonishment.

"How have you been, Sir Thomas?" The knight smiled, as if he were an old friend.

"R-Roberto? But you ... but I..."

"What, did you throw him out of a waterfall, after impaling him with your sword?" Lady Ronnie exclaimed, spitting venom.

"Sis, I'll take care of this." Bobby put a hand on his sister's shoulder, smiling gently. He then turned, and looked at Sir Thomas with pure hatred. "But she's right. You almost took my life, this after killing my comrades. Sincerely, I hope the king will give you what you deserve after the proclamation."

"But what kind of witchcraft is that?" Sir Walter looked at Bobby in disbelief, refusing to accept that he was real. "If the sword had not killed you, the waterfall would surely have done it. You can not be alive!"

"Actually, this was all possible thanks to my little brother." Lori kissed Lincoln's forehead, making the prince blush. "I asked him to keep an eye on you, and he saved Bobby from the waterfall. You can not imagine how furious I was when I heard what you did."

"After all, what's going on here?" Sir Benjamin was tired of just hearing, and he went after answers. "From what I heard, Lady Ronnie's older brother was killed in combat during a secret mission to the king."

They all looked at the knight, remembering that there were more prisoners than Sir Thomas. Although they were finally in front of the treacherous knight who killed Bobby's friends, he was still seen as a hero by the other Silent Knights, especially young knights like Sir Benjamin.

"Would you mind explaining, Sir Thomas?" Lori smirked, and folded her arms. "I think they'll take it better if it comes from someone on this side of the bars."

Sir Thomas only sighed, acknowledging his defeat.

After all he did, there was no escape. It was better to act like a man, and admit his mistakes, since at least he could keep some respect from the Young knights.

"They're right. Years ago, the king told us to come to Dragon Domain, but after Princess Lori told the young men what had really happened during the Fury, Walter and I thought it best to kill them to keep them from telling what had happened."

The young men were shocked, but not so much as Sir Walter. Even after everything they did, he thought there was still some way to escape punishment. See Sir Thomas accept defeat left Walter devastated.

"Wait, what do you mean by "really happened"?" Another of the knights was intrigued, though he was afraid to know the answer. "Everyone knows what happened: Sir Daniel killed the dragon king, and caused the Fury."

"Actually, this is just the official version." Lincoln took a serious tone, and looked straight at the young knight. "What really happened was that Sir Daniel was sent by our grandfather, King Albert, with the intention of killing us. After that, a lot was told about Dragon Domain, and most of it was just rumors and lies." Lincoln then pointed at Lord Roger, and his eyes went red. "But then, when my grandfather decided to tell the truth to the people, that shitbag thought it will better to start a coup with Sir Thomas and Sir Walter."

The knights and soldiers stared at the other three prisoners.

Although the soldiers were taking orders blindly, the Silent Knights were suspicious from the beginning. Even so, knowing that they were manipulated to help bring down the kingdom was something that left them broken inside. Among them, Sir Benjamin was the one who felt worse, since his mentor had said that she was on the right side, and yet he faced her as if she were a traitor.

"And what are you going to do with us?" Sir Benjamin tried to sound decisive, though he was still shaken by the truth. "If it was they who caused all this, why are we arrested too?"

"Well, even if you did not know the truth, you invaded my castle, which by the law of Dragon Domain is punishable by death." Lincoln smiled smugly, staring straight into Sir Benjamin's eyes. "However, I will be merciful and release you after my grandfather's proclamation. So, you must be released in three days, so I suggest you behave until then."

"Well, I think we're done here." Lori exclaimed, turning toward the door. "I think the royal guard can take over from here, since we have more to worry about."

Bobby, Lincoln, and Lady Ronnie followed the princess, which made Lord Roger furious.

"You can not treat me like this! I am a member of the nobility, and deserve to be treated as such!"

Upon hearing this, Lori and the Santigos began to turn around, but before that Lincoln came into the dungeon and ran his arms through the bars, and lifted Lord Roger by the collar.

"Listen here, you worthless shit! You are in my kingdom, and here you are nothing but a complete fool who nearly killed my grandfather shortly after we finally get along. The only reason I did not incinerate you is because my grandfather wants to settle it personally, and I promised to respect his wishes."

"Lincoln, put him down!" Lori commanded firmly, though she was afraid to deal with her brother's fury.

Lincoln glared at Lord Roger, who was about to urinate in his pants. As much as he wanted to kill him, Lincoln had promised to let his grandfather handle it, and he was a man of his word.

He released Lord Roger, causing him to fall hard on the ground. With one last glare, Lincoln went to the door of the dungeon, slamming it hard as he left.

Lori and the Santiagos stayed behind, watching the furious prince move on down the hall.

"Well, it could have been worse." Lori smiled weakly, trying to look confident. "At least no one's dead. For now, at least."

"I've never seen Lincoln like that." Bobby took his wife's hand, and tried to comfort her. "Still, he heard you. It is a sign that he is not as furious as he seems."

"Thank you, Bobby. I only hope that nothing happens until the time of the proclamation."

"Speaking of which, I think we must hurry." Lady Ronnie interrupted them in a serious tone. "We have an appointment, remember?"

Lori looked at Lady Ronnie in confusion, but then she remembered what she should do.

"Dang it!"

* * *

.

* * *

At the Loud House, the family gathered in the living room, waiting for Lincoln and the others to return from the castle. Albert is still shocked by the good news.

This morning he finally met his granddaughter Lynn, who was excited about the victory her royal guard had made following Lincoln's plan. Albert was impressed to find that young Lisa was skilled enough to help her older siblings defend their kingdom, but was even more surprised to know that Lincoln had made a plan that resulted in a memorable victory without a single man dying.

Rita was proud of her children, but most of all she was surprised that Lincoln was controlling his anger. Somehow, Lady Ronnie was helping her son become a even better person, something she did not thought was possible.

The Loud sisters were enthusiastic, since now nothing would stop their grandfather from telling the truth to the kingdom.

The next day, at noon, Albert will make the proclamation that will change everything to Silent Valley, and allow the princesses to walk freely in the kingdom, without having to hide who they really are.

Although everyone was happy, Albert was nervous.

After twenty-seven years he would finally meet Lori, his first granddaughter. After seeing how much his grandchildren were affected by his neglect, he could hardly imagine how Lori should feel.

Suddenly all the sisters were euphoric. Due to their keen hearing, they were hearing the flapping of a dragon's wings, indicating that Lincoln had returned. As soon as they got up, the front door opened, and Lori walked into the house hand in hand with her husband.

Albert was puzzled to see the beautiful woman who entered the house. Although she seemed a bit insecure, she certainly emanated the authority of a queen.

The girls rushed to embrace her, which made her more confident. After receiving a flood of questions, Lori made her sisters stop talking so she could talk.

"Okay, if you can keep calm, I'd like to give you a message from our brother." Lori waited until they were all paying attention, and continued. "He's still a little angry, so he and Ronnie Anne went to the hot springs to spend some "quality time" together. He said he'd be here by the end of the afternoon, so we should all be ready to leave."

"What do you mean, leaving?" Lola was intrigued.

"Since the royal guard is patrolling our territory, Lincoln thinks it would be best if we all went to Lincoln together, flying together."

The princesses were shocked.

Although it was Lincoln's idea, it seemed to be totally ridiculous.

"That seems totally illogical." Lisa picked up an abacus and began to stir the pebbles. "Even considering that four of us still can not fly, after the confusion caused by Lord Roger and the Silent Knights who rebelled, the city will certainly panic at the sight of seven dragons approaching the city. I estimate that the odds of starting a commotion are over eighty-nine percent."

"Thanks for your optimism, Lisa." Lori assumed a sarcastic tone, but then folded her arms and looked at her sisters seriously. "Even so, what matters is that we go as a family, and make it clear to any other traitor that our grandfather will be very well protected."

"I think I agree with her on this one." Lynn said, catching the attention of her sisters. "It's practically a war strategy, showing strength to intimidate the enemy."

"I'm glad to see you're supporting me, Lynn. But we'll not start a war, let's show our family is united. Now, I want you all to get your best dresses and your crowns and put them in your traveling bags. We must be ready when Lincoln comes back. Or do you want to make him even angrier?"

The princesses gulped and left the room quickly.

Rita smiled, and also went to prepare her things for the trip, leaving Lori and Bobby alone with Albert.

They remained in an uncomfortable silence for some time, until Albert tried to break the ice.

"It's really unfair that you can not be queen. You sure know how to lead, of that I have no doubt. "

"Well, I'm just good at it." Lori blushed, unsure as a little girl. "Growing up with ten siblings ends up in that."

"Look at you. A strong and determined woman, doing what she can for her family. If I had not been a complete jerk, I would have seen you grow up. But I'm glad I could see the woman you've become.

"The way you say it sounds like you're going to die." Lori tried to make a joke, but as she looked at her grandfather, she realized he was sad. "Wait, you..."

"Lori, I'm almost ninety. It's almost a miracle I'm still alive after shot by an arrow. And even if I had not lost so much blood, I consulted with my doctors, and they confirmed that I am getting weaker. Still, the day after tomorrow I will have no more regrets, and I can wait for my hour peacefully."

Without a word, Lori hugged her grandfather, her eyes filled with tears.

Lori was frustrated with fate. She finally had the chance to live with her grandfather, but he would not live for much longer. It was almost as if her life was a tale of drama written by someone who liked to play with the characters' lives and feelings of the readers.

"Did you tell them?" The princess wiped away her tears, trying to accept reality.

"Only for your brother. Your sisters were so happy that I did not have the courage to tell them."

"Well, let's keep it that way for now. I think they already have a lot to worry about."

"I agree. But for now, how about telling me a little more about yourself?"

"I was literally going to do it!"

* * *

.

* * *

When it was near sunset, Lincoln and Lady Ronnie arrived at the house.

Following Lori's order, all the sisters were holding a small bag, each of which held a beautiful dress and a crown. Lincoln, who did not even return to human form, was happy to see that his sisters were ready.

As everyone gathered in front of the house, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan and Lucy began to undress, which left Albert and Rocky a little uncomfortable. Unlike them, Lynn just transformed since she did not need to take off her enchanted armor. As soon as they undressed, the princesses became dragons, of which Lori was the most remarkable, being almost twice as big as Lincoln.

The blue of Lori's scales were lighter than Lana's shade of blue, but her scales were clearly thicker. Leni was a little smaller and had turquoise scales, which glowed beautifully in the light. Luna had scales in a dark shade of purple and was the closest to Lori in size, and just as Lynn and Lincoln were one of the only ones with horns and mane. Luan had a muzzle a little wider than her sisters, which added to her yellow scales left the dragon princess with a harmless, almost comical appearance. Lucy, on the other hand, looked intimidating, and her thick, shiny black scales made her as sinister as a serpent.

Lady Ronnie was impressed to see the dragon forms of so many Loud siblings at the same time. Albert, Lady Danielle, and Rocky were surprised at the sight ahead of them, while Bobby seemed to be accustomed to seeing so many dragons gathered.

They left all bags with Lynn, who was also carrying some cloaks. Rita, Albert and Bobby rode on Lori's big neck. Lady Ronnie, Lisa and Lily rode in Lincoln, while Lady Danielle, Lana and Lola rode Luna. In order not to antagonize the lovebirds, no one objected to letting Lucy carry Rocky, who was still a little red after seeing Lucy's older sisters naked. Without delay, they took off for Lincoln.

In perfect synchrony, the siblings looked like a flock of birds flying in "V" formation. Although Lincoln was the Prince Regent, Lori led the formation, flapping her great wings with force and grace.

The sun set and night fell, as they headed toward the capital of their mother's kingdom. All the princesses were excited, since with the exception of Lori, Lincoln, Lucy and Lana this was the first time that they would visit the city where their mother was born. Although they were in tune with their draconian heritage, they never had a chance to live among humans, knowing they would be hated.

While his sisters thought about what their lives would be like after their grandfather's proclamation, Lincoln knew it would not be that simple. Even if Albert revealed the truth to the kingdom, people would still be slow to trust the Loud family, even though they were the royal family of both kingdoms.

When it was late at night, they saw the lights of the city's watchtowers. Unlike Lincoln's visit, they did not stop at the gates of the city, and headed straight for the castle.

They were not surprised to see a great move around the city, as surely seven adult dragons would cause a great panic. The once peaceful town was starting to get tumultuous, but the Loud family would not let themselves be affected by the concern of the people. Several torches and magic stones were illuminating the castle, giving a clear vision of what was happening.

They reached the courtyard of the castle, where Silent Knights were preparing for battle. Although there was not much room, the seven dragons settled as best they could, while Lori lowered her head, gently putting her mother and grandfather on the ground.

Most of the Silent Knights and soldiers were perplexed to see the king descend from the dragon, while those who participated in the rebellion tried to get away. As soon as all the passengers had descended, Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan returned to their human forms, and then covered themselves with cloaks that Lynn handed to them. Lynn, Lincoln, and Lucy remained in their dragon forms, growling furiously at the knights and soldiers.

"Your Highness!" Sir Charles came and bowed to the king. "We thought you-"

"Spare me the details, Sir Charles." Albert spoke sternly as he looked at the soldiers and knights. "I'm very disappointed in all of you. If it were not bad enough that some of you tried to kill me, the others let themselves be fooled by the lies of the conspirators."

"Your Highness, I have no idea what has happened, but I will do my best to ensure that the guilty are punished properly."

Albert looked at his subjects, and began to feel sorry for them. Although they had helped in the coup, they did so only because they believed in the lies of Lord Roger and Sir Thomas. Still, he could not let himself be affected by it, since more important matters required his attention.

"Forget it. Now, what really matters is that you calm the city down. I want you to warn everyone not to be afraid of the dragons, for they are here for my proclamation."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Sir Charles bowed, and then commanded the soldiers to do as the king had commanded. Lady Danielle went with Sir Charles to make sure the mutineers were punished.

Albert then guided his family through the entrance to the castle. Although still suspicious, Lynn, Lincoln and Lucy returned to human form, and followed with the rest of the family. Although there were still wrecks of the coup, the castle did not lose its grandeur, and left the princesses impressed.

They went to the throne room, and Albert was not too surprised to see that the door was still in place, even though they had broken into it. The throne was intact, just like almost everything in the throne room.

"Well, I think we'd better go to bed soon." Albert exclaimed excitedly. "After all that has happened, I think we deserve a good rest before the day we will have tomorrow. The guest rooms are upstairs, and I believe there is plenty of room for everyone."

"Actually Grandpa, I think I'm going to stay awake." Lincoln exclaimed, leaving everyone in surprise. "After what happened, I'll feel better watching our family in person."

"Lincoln, do not be ridiculous!" Lori looked at him earnestly, ready to scold him. "We all flew several miles to get here. No need to get even more tired by staying up all night!"

"Actually, I agree with him." Lynn exclaimed, earning a glare from Lori. "If we both share shifts, it will not be too heavy for either of us."

"I do not know. Mom, what do you think?" Lori looked at her mother for support.

Rita was lost in thought, overcome by the nostalgia of being back in the castle. After thirty years, she was finally back to her old home, and this was causing her to feel confused.

"If your siblings think it will be safer, then trust them." Rita said, after thinking through the words. "Now, do as your grandfather said, and prepare to rest."

The princesses shrugged, and followed their mother.

As soon as they left, Albert went to the window, watching his kingdom.

"How do you feel?" Lincoln asked, approaching his grandfather.

"Honestly, I have not felt so nervous since your late grandmother was about to give birth to your mother."

"Well, the day after tomorrow, there will be nothing to worry about." Lincoln put his hand on his grandfather's shoulder, trying to cheer him up.

"I believe you are right, Lincoln. Tomorrow will be an unforgettable day."


	19. All Hail The King Pt6 -Finale

Lincoln is completely messy.

In addition to being the capital of Silent Valley, Lincoln is also the largest city in the kingdom, but not even the largest city in the kingdom seems large enough for the crowds crowding around the castle, awaiting the proclamation of King Albert. Before today, they were just curious, but now that the news that dragons would show up, everyone was eager to hear what the king had to say.

As the people waited for the king in the streets of Lincoln, the members of the nobility were received into the castle, and then taken to the throne room. The nobles sat in comfortable chairs as they watched curiously the throne room.

Unlike the usual, there were another twelve seats next to the throne, six on the right and six on the left. The king's only direct relatives were his sister Ruth and his nephew Roger, so it was hard to imagine who would sit next to the king.

After a few minutes of waiting, trumpets announced the entrance of the king, who promptly sat on his throne. Shortly after he sat down, the trumpets played again and a beautiful woman entered the room, wearing a crown that the nobles thought they would never see again. Before them was Princess Rita, who had long fled from Silent Valley to avoid an arranged marriage. She sat in the seat on the left side of her father, and stared at the door.

When some nobles were thinking of saying something, the trumpets played again, and a line of ten beautiful young women entered the throne room, each in a different colored dress, as well as a crown with gems that matched the color of the dress . From the height and appearance of them, it was possible to be said that they were lined in order of age, and judging from the similarities they shared they must be related. The five elders sat down next to King Albert, leaving the chair to his right empty, while the five younger ones sat with Princess Rita.

"I thank you all for attending this meeting." Albert spoke with authority, catching the attention of the nobles. "As you know, in an hour I shall make a proclamation to all the people of Silent Valley, but because of the nature of the matter, Silent Valley's royal protocol requires that I first communicate you, the members of the nobility."

"I beg your pardon, but should not we wait for Lord Roger?" One of the nobles spoke, causing Rita and the girls to narrow their eyes. "After all, he's the first on the succession line for the throne."

"Unfortunately, Roger will not be with us for a while. He tried to kill me and now he's stuck in Dragon Domain's dungeon, where he will remain until I'm ready to deal with him."

The nobles were perplexed to hear that Roger had tried to betray his uncle, but they were astonished to hear that he had been taken to Dragon Domain.

"But why is he in Dragon Domain?"A young man, probably in his twenties, asked.

"I will explain everything, but the main thing is that you are here so that I announce my successor to the throne, which unfortunately is indisposed." Albert looked at the empty seat beside him, and sighed sadly. "Anyway, as King of Silent Valley, I am pleased to announce that my successor will be..."

.

* * *

 **MEANWHILE, IN THE GUEST ROOM...**

* * *

.

"Lincoln Loud!" Lady Ronnie glared at her fiance, lying on the bed. "Lynn told me what you did! What made you think that would be a good idea?"

Lincoln was in a bad state. He felt his whole body numb, and he had difficulty keeping his eyes open. Though he said he would share the watch with Lynn, he gave her a special tea that made her sleep like a rock, and so he stayed up all night. Normally this would not be so exhausting for the prince, but after all the effort he's made in the last few days, that's what was needed to finally bring him down.

"I'm sorry Ronnie. I thought I could do it, but it looks like I'm more exhausted than I thought."

"(Sigh) Lincoln, you should be with your family. This is the most important moment in the lives of your sisters, and you can hardly stand by your own."

"I know I know." Lincoln gave a big yawn, and stretched his arms. "How long until the proclamation?"

"Well, it's been a little while since the bell rang, so we should have less than an hour."

"That's more than enough for me!" Lincoln got to his feet, leaning against the wall. "I just need a nice meal and I'll be better."

Lady Ronnie propped him against her back, helping him to his feet.

"Then, lets get straight to the kitchen. Considering that you are the king's grandson, I doubt that anyone will refuse to prepare you a fine meal fast."

.

* * *

 **BACK TO THE THRONE ROOM ...**

* * *

.

"That is all." Albert finished his story, and rose from the throne. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare myself for my proclamation to the people."

He left the throne room, followed soon by his daughter and granddaughters.

The nobles became pensive, still unable to move. After all the king told, it was difficult to form an opinion about what was going on.

After leaving the throne room, they followed the hall toward the balcony, where the king would make his proclamation. The princesses are smiling from ear to ear, still amazed at the surprise of the nobles when they learned that a dragon would be the next king, not only of Silent Valley but also of Dragon Domain. As they advanced, they found Bobby and Lady Danielle, who were waiting in front of the balcony door. As soon as she saw her husband, Lori immediately embraced him, while her sisters looked worriedly down the hall.

"Where's Lincoln?" Rita asked, more irritated than worried. "He should be here by now."

"He's in the kitchen with Lady Ronnie, Your Highness." Lady Danielle bowed as she spoke, showing respect for the princess. "Since he was still a little exhausted, she took him there to get something to eat, but I think they're coming."

As soon as the knight had finished speaking, they heard hurried footsteps, and they all looked out into the hall. Running as if his life depended on it, Lincoln arrived, stopping to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm fine now. (Yawn) At least for now."

"It's good to see you're better, son." Albert put his hand on his grandson's shoulder with a friendly smile, but then he took a serious note. "But listen the advice from someone with experience in the matter: do not demand too much from your body, or it will be worse when you reach old age."

"I'll take that into account. Thanks for the advice, Grandpa."

"You're welcome, son. Now, stand in line with your sisters, for we are about to change this kingdom."

Lincoln obeyed his grandfather, and positioned himself between Lynn and Lucy.

Everyone waited, until the bell rang.

"(Sigh) Noon. It's time."

Taking courage, Albert headed for the door, which was soon opened by the knights. Upon arriving on the balcony, Albert had a perfect view of the entire city, and of the people who were crowded into the streets. Due to the acoustics on this side of the castle, anything the king said out loud on the balcony would echo loudly throughout the city. As Albert stood in front of the balcony, Rita and her children stood a few steps behind him, side by side. Although the balcony was not very wide, they did not get too tight.

Although it was difficult for most people to see what was happening on the balcony, they could see that there were people standing next to the king, although they did not see them clearly. Those who were closest could see the beautiful young women on the balcony, as well as the white haired traveler who they now knew to be the prince of Dragon Domain.

All were in high expectation when the king raised his arms, and began to speak.

"Good people of Silent Valley. I'm glad so many could attend today, and I hope you can spread my words to those who could not attend. You must have realized by now that I am old, and I do not expect to live much longer. So I want to make a final proclamation to my kingdom, especially to confess my mistakes and secure your future."

The people were confused, although they understood that there was some logic in the King's words. Most of the people present were children or not even born when Albert began to reign, and now he was almost ninety.

"As you know, I have reigned in Silent Valley for years, and I have never presented you with a successor to the throne. However, today I will present to you my successor to the throne. Someone who will not only be a good king but will also be much better than I ever was."

Albert held out his hand, and Lincoln stepped forward to stand beside his grandfather.

"I present to you your future king, my grandson Lincoln Loud."

Lincoln bowed to the people, who were still shocked by the revelation.

Several whispers ran through the crowd. Although many were not present at the time, those who lived in Lincoln told them that he was Prince Regent of Dragon Domain, and that he had visited the city last week.

Even years after the Fury, Silent Valley still had a great deal of resentment towards the dragons, but most of all they were afraid. The people did not know whether it was reassuring or dreadful to know that their next king would be a dragon, and they began to question whether the king had really made that decision.

"I know this may be surprising, but I say I made the right decision." Albert let Lincoln back to his position, and extended his arm toward Rita. "Although most of you do not know her, this is my daughter Rita, who has run away from home because of me. She and her children agreed to attend, not only to name Lincoln as my successor, but to hear my confession."

Once again, the people were overwhelmed with a great commotion.

For many years no one was commenting on the disappearance of Princess Rita, the king's only daughter. After decades the rumors ceased to circulate, but now the subject resurfaced among the people, who could not help but wonder how the daughter of King Albert became the mother of dragons. The people had already accepted that the nobles would dispute the crown when King Albert died, but now another type of dispute worried them.

"I know it may sound strange coming from the king, but yes, I have a confession to make. Years ago, we all suffered with the Fury, and then we ended up exiling Sir Daniel for having caused that. Actually, Sir Daniel was just following orders. My orders." Albert looked at his subjects sadly, and joined forces to continue, even though he knew they would lose all respect for him. "The truth is, I sent Sir Daniel to Dragon Domain, and I sent him with the intention to kill my own family."

This time the people did not stop to comment. They were totally petrified, not knowing how to react.

During his reign, Albert did several things for the well-being of his people, yielding to the king the admiration of all. Never before had a king been so loved in Silent Valey, and now he admitted that he had committed an atrocity. And not only that, but also let another man take the blame for his crime. Some began to think about leaving at that moment, to avoid being disappointed even more with the king.

Even so, most people just kept waiting for the king to continue. Although most of the crowd could only hear the king, it was possible to perceive the sadness in his voice, even with the echo. Even though the king had did a big mistake, he was now confessing his sins, and they had no duty to know.

They had the RIGHT to know.

"I know it's disappointing to know that I did such a thing, and it's difficult for me to admit, but I did. Many years ago, when my Rita was still a little girl, I promised her to marry the prince of Breeze Grove. What I did not expect was that she fell in love with the prince of Dragon Domain, and was willing to run away with him to get married there. For years, I let pride blind me, and when I discovered that they lived happily with their children while I filled myself with bitterness, I sent Sir Daniel and some trustworthy Silent Knights to slay them. At no point did I stop to think of the consequences, until the Fury happened, and I knew it was my fault. For years I have suffered with guilt, until my grandson came to visit me. Even after everything I did, my family was willing to give me a second chance, and I want to deserve this. I know I do not deserve your forgiveness, so I do not ask for it. All I can do right now is make sure that, unlike me, my grandson will be a king that you can be proud of."

With these words, Albert turned and entered the castle, being soon followed by his family.

.

* * *

 **SOON**

* * *

.

Back in the throne room, the royal family was excited. Each of the princesses was jumping with joy, except of course Lucy, who just stood there staring into space, thinking of how she and her lover would celebrate. After so many years, the Louds could finally walk with pride by the kingdom.

Of course, they knew they would not be accepted right away, but their names were clean. If somebody despised them, would be doing that for no reason.

The princesses stared angrily at Lola, who sat on their grandfather's throne wondering what it would be like to be the queen, when everyone was surprised by a loud noise. When they looked, they saw that Lincoln had fallen to the ground, and had even started to snore.

"I think he finally managed to relax." Lana exclaimed, smiling. She lifted Lincoln and carried him like a big baby and headed for the door. "I'll take him to the bedroom."

As soon as Lana left, Sir Charles took advantage of the open door to enter the throne room.

"Your Majesty, the people have begun to leave the city. According to gate guards, most seem to be more apprehensive than furious, which may be a sign that a rebellion should not start."

"Thank you, Sir Charles. Even so, I do not think I could blame them if they chose to rebel. I just hope they do not use my mistakes as a reason to judge Lincoln's reign. He will surely be a great king."

"Humpf! Big deal. I sure would be an even better queen." Lola crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "My reign would be fabulous."

On hearing this, her sisters could not help laughing, which made the teenager blush.

"I do not know about that, but we know very well that he deserves to be the king." Lynn scratched her chin as she assumed a thoughtful expression. "Stopping to think, I think he's the only one of us who's really fit for the job."

"You are in fact correct, Lynn." Lisa adjusted her glasses and looked at her older sister. "Even so, he'll probably still need at least you and me beside him, like in our recente "battle"."

"Wait, are you implying that you two are better than us?" Lola was irritated, and rose from the throne, staring straight at her.

"I'm not implying anything, just remembering that our brother seems to value his sisters' opinion very much, when our opinion is related to his plan of action."

The princesses could not help but nod. In fact, Lincoln was always willing to take their opinions into account, but would the crown matter more than their opinion?

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Rita tried to sound confident, but she was also apprehensive.

* * *

.

* * *

Shortly after Lana took Lincoln into the room, Lady Ronnie arrived, and the squire left her sleeping brother with his lover.

Lady Ronnie took off Lincoln's royal armor, leaving him only in his underwear. She covered him with sheets and stood beside him, stroking his white hair. She continued this way until she too fell asleep, and no one dared bother the two until the next day.

It was barely dawn and Rita opened the curtains of her son's bedroom, causing him and Lady Ronnie to wake up in the sunlight. After the long rest he had, Lincoln was sure to be ready for a new day.

The royal family gathered in the dining room, where breakfast was served. After the proclamation of the previous day, the servants who had previously been uncomfortable in the presence of the princesses now treated them cordially, although the same could not be said about the king. Albert had lost the confidence of his people, who now could only hope that the new king would not follow in the footsteps of his grandfather.

Although everyone was already accustomed to the presence of Lady Ronnie and Bobby, the siblings were beginning to be uncomfortable with Rocky's presence. Not that he was not good company, but the way Lucy acted around him made them even more disturbed than the princess's normal attitude.

"I'd like your attention, please." Lori stood and was soon followed by her husband. "As I said before, Bobby and I will finally leave on Honeymoon, and thanks to Grandpa, we'll sail to Vahay's archipelago in two weeks."

"Wow! That sounds cool." Lynn flushed and nearly choked on the food. "It would be nice to take a vacation there. I've always heard that the waves are huge there."

"That's nothing." Luna was euphoric, and almost transformed into dragon. "They have traditional music and dance that only has there, besides having an island with only water dragons."

"In fact it's an interesting place, though I believe agriculture is more interesting." Lisa assumed a dreamy air as she thought about what it would be like to go to the famous archipelago. "They not only grow several plants that only grow in the tropical climate but are also one of the few kingdoms that produces spicy grapes besides Dragon Domain. Although ours are still the tastiest, of course."

"If you're so willing to know the place, why do not you come with us?" Lori smiled, and sat down again. "I mean, being a big archipelago, space is what would not miss. We would separate on arrival and then meet in the capital on the day of departure, after a month."

The sisters were excited about the offer, and they began to think about what to do until it was time to leave.

"I think the royal guard can stay without me for a month." Lynn brightened, thinking how good it would be to finally get to know another place. "After all, we have no enemies, and our Prince Regent has proven himself capable of protecting our kingdom."

"Although it is challenging to spend so much time away from my inventions, I think it would be a good opportunity to acquire raw materials that I do not have here, besides of course to get new data for my research." Lisa grabbed her abacus, and began calculating the pros and cons of the trip, though she was already determined to go with her older sisters.

"Well, since we're announcing our plans, I think it's a good idea to count mine." Lucy got up and pulled Rocky, who soon began to blush. "Rocky and I agreed to live a life of adventure soon after he took the Academy exam and became a Silent Knight. Just us and our horse, living intensely every moment."

"I'm glad you're so excited, young lady. But do not forget you're part of a family." Rita calmly passed butter on her loaf of bread, as if the matter had already been resolved. "You can live your adventures with your fearless knight, but you will have to visit us whenever possible, or I will go after you."

""I do not mean to sound insolent to you Mom, but I do not intend to stay here long." Luna was a little embarrassed, but she looked her mother in the eye. "I'm in no hurry to create a link, and before falling in love I want to travel the whole world learning about music. I believe I'm destined to create the greatest music of all time, I just need inspiration."

"Well, you do not have to worry about me, because I'm not going anywhere." Luan began juggling some apples as she balanced a boiled egg on the tip of her nose. "Now that I no longer need to remain anonymous, it's time for the greatest jester of all time to begin her tour in all Silent Valley, spreading laughter everywhere."

"This is so exciting! Each of you already knows exactly what to do." Leni felt very excited about her sisters' plans, though she did not think theirs were so good. "What I most want is to travel the world and see how people dress in other places." She then looked at the twins, who as always seemed totally opposite while sitting side by side. "What about you two? What do you want to do?"

"Well, I even wanted to travel around, but I think the main thing is to pass the Academy exam and become a Silent Knight." Lana put her hands behind her head and leaned back against the chair. "I've always imagined myself defending our kingdom, and I think I can rise in the hierarchy of the Silent Knights in a short time. After all, I'm sure they've never had anyone as strong as me."

"Disgusting!" Lola took out her mirror, and began admire herself. "Apparently, I'm the only one who's going to act like a real princess. Now that we have been recognized as royalty, I must grant our subjects the honor of appreciating my beauty as they revere my greatness."

The sisters just rolled their eyes, while Lincoln allowed himself a giggle.

"What about you, Lily?" Albert asked his younger granddaughter, anxious. "What are you going to do now that everyone knows you're a princess?"

The eleven-year-old girl was thoughtful, and looked at her brother for guidance. Lincoln's sincere smile was enough to make her feel more determined, and then she had the courage to speak.

"I still do not know what to do. I've never really cared about being a princess, and I keep thinking the same way. I think I just want to be like a normal girl, and meet other kids my age."

"I'm glad my babies are already so mature that they know what they want out of their lives." Tears of joy began to trickle down Rita's face as she smiled. "Now, since Lori, Lincoln, and Lucy have already passed by the link, which of you will be the first to give me a grandchild?"

"Mom!" The three siblings blushed violently, even though not as much as their lovers.

Everyone soon began to laugh, while Rita looked at her children seriously.

"What's it? I meant it. I want a grandson, and the sooner the better."

* * *

.

* * *

After two weeks, the royal family gathered at Seaweed Harbor.

Although the people were still getting used to the royal family, some were quite curious about the commotion. Bobby, Lori, Luna, Lynn, and Lisa were getting ready to embark on their journey, while the others seemed to be on the verge of tears.

They would travel on Sea Princess, one of the largest ships in Silent Valley. As the older sisters watched the ship, Lisa felt foolish for not bringing more gold with her, since a ship of that size could carry even more things than she would buy.

Everyone gathered in front of the ship for a big group hug. After saying goodbye to their family, they entered the ship, while Lori stopped to talk to her brother.

"I hope you do not turn the kingdom upside down while I'm gone. I'd hate to have to fix your mess when I get back."

"No need to worry about that." Lincoln smiled, and gave his sister a last hug. "I still can not unite the two kingdoms until I am crowned King of Silent Valley, and I do not intend to take over until our grandfather dies. I want his last days to be quiet, and only then will I begin the changes."

"You're sure to be a great King, Lincoln. Know that when the time comes, we will support you."

Lori entered the ship, which soon left the port.

Little by little the family began to leave. Even after everyone had gone, Lincoln continued to gaze at the horizon, until the ship disappeared from view.

"You really are very sentimental, are not you?" Lady Ronnie hugged him from behind, resting her head on the neck of her beloved.

"My sisters have never traveled to another land before. Honestly, it's a little scary for me."

"Well, I think I know how to make you feel better." The knight broke the embrace, and lifted an old bundle of keys, smirking. "I promised Bobby we'd keep their house clean, and as your family goes back to the cottage, we'll have the whole house just for us."

"What are we waiting for?" Lincoln carried the knight, hurrying down the road.

The Loud family might even be taking different paths, but they were still a family. In time, they would be together again to begin the reign of Lincoln, as well as to unify the two parts of the kingdom.

This may be the end of this story, however, where a story ends, a legend is born.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **FOR NOW...**


	20. The Sequel

**I removed the bonus chapter, which is now the first chapter of the new story.**

 **After the long wait, I am finally doing the sequel of this tale.**

 **Be prepared for drama and betrayal, in a mystery whose cause you could never imagine.**

 **I present: The Fall of Dragon Domain.**


End file.
